The River Usk at Llangynidr. Photo: Philip Halling CC-BY-SA-2.0

A mountain rescuer will take to the air in the continuing search for a missing paddler on the River Usk.

A member of the Brecon Mountain Rescue Team will take part in an aerial search of the area using the Dyfed-Police helicopter.

Police said they will then decide whether to resume the hunt for the 34-year-old kayaker on the river itself.

The man was on the river, in the Brecon Beacons national park, with a group of people when he disappeared yesterday afternoon.

Inspector Stuart Eckley said: “Water levels on the River Usk have dropped but only slightly, so searches have not started on the river itself yet.

“The aerial search using the helicopter will help us get a better picture of the conditions of the river.

“Yesterday we searched an 11-mile [18km] stretch, and today we are bringing up officers from our marine unit in Pembrokeshire and specialist dogs who we hope will help us narrow down the search area.

“With recent wet weather conditions both the river and its banks are extremely hazardous at the present time, so we have to proceed with caution.

“Specially trained officers, meanwhile, have been speaking with the family of the missing kayaker and keeping them informed of our progress.

“We will be basing ourselves in the village of Llangynidr again today, and on behalf of all those involved in the search I’d like to pass on our thanks for the excellent support the community has shown to us.”