The heartbroken family of a missing man have issued a fresh appeal on the 10th anniversary of his disappearance.

Anthony Stammers, who was 27 when he went missing, was last seen at his family home in Mile End Road, Colchester, on May 27, 2012.

A talented musician, Anthony had sent a text message to his mum, Julie, at 11am asking her to make sure his trousers were ready for his grandfather's funeral the next day.

But when he did not arrive at Colchester Crematorium for the service on May 28, his parents reported him missing to police.

Recently, Anthony's older brother, James, who lives in Bristol, appeared in the Channel 4 show SAS: Who Dares Wins in a bid to raise the profile of his disappearance.

In the last decade, Essex Police has followed up potential sightings of Anthony in areas including Colchester, Staffordshire, Birmingham, Doncaster and London with no breakthroughs.

This Friday marks ten years since he was last seen, and his parents Julie and Robert are appealing for anyone who has seen Anthony, is with him or knows where he is to please get in touch.

Robert said: “We really live a sort of dual existence.

"One the one hand, we know we have to live ‘normal life’; there are things to do and bills to pay and we have two other children who deserve to live their lives to the full.

"On the other hand, we know that Anthony is missing and the pain that goes alongside that can rear its head at any time.”

Julie added: “There were, and still are, days when you feel like you don’t want to get up, but I remember what Rob has said to me before, that today could be the day we find him.

"That’s what keeps us going; that and very dear family and friends.

“My heart also aches for our other two children so much because it is their brother who is missing, and they were very close before Anthony went missing.

“For a long time, one of us always had to be in the house because we couldn’t bear the thought of Anthony coming back and no one being here."

On the day Anthony went missing, he was carrying a record holder-style bag and spoke to his mum as he left, telling her he was going out for a while and was likely to stay overnight at a friend’s house before attending his grandfather’s funeral the next day.

Investigations found Anthony had withdrawn money from a nearby petrol station during the morning and that is his last-known bank transaction.

Robert added: “We co-ordinated our efforts with the police, who were searching night and day. I spent most nights out driving around Colchester, just looking, leaving posters.

“I did that for about six months, always in co-ordination with the police, and at the end of that, we really just concluded that he wasn’t in Colchester.”

Anthony’s family have never given up searching for him and the investigation into his disappearance has not closed.

Julie said: “You never move on, you don’t really even ‘deal with it’, you ‘get through it’; that’s what we do.

“Today could be the day we find him. He is such a kind and gentle soul, very socially aware and is one of those people who really respected and loved the older generation."

Thirty Essex Police detectives were involved at the height of the search for Anthony.

Anthony is described as white, 5th 10 ins tall, and is of medium build, with short, dark-brown hair, although his appearance may now have changed.

He was last seen wearing blue jeans, a red and blue checked shirt, carrying a black satchel and may have been wearing a black New York Yankees baseball cap and beige jacket.

Anyone with information should call Essex Police on 101, or contact missingpeople.org citing reference 12-001452.