AS the family of missing Luke Durbin prepares for the heartbreak of his 21st birthday, the detective leading the hunt today admitted the flow of new information into his disappearance had run dry.

AS the family of missing Luke Durbin prepares for the heartbreak of his 21st birthday, the detective leading the hunt today admitted the flow of new information into his disappearance had run dry.

The Hollesley man has been missing for 18 months after going mussing at the end of a night out with pals in Ipswich.

Acting detective inspector Ian Addison said the search for Luke had proved fruitless - but promised the case remained open.

Det Insp Addison said: “The case will never be closed until we can provide Nicki (Luke's mum) with some answers.

“Unfortunately, we have not had many calls recently in relation to Luke's disappearance and those we have had have not provided us with anything substantial to work on.

“Nicki has been informed that we have gone as far as we can in regards to being pro-active in this investigation.

“But the case will remain open and will be reviewed on a regular basis to make sure nothing has been missed.

“Any new information will still come to me and we will act upon it accordingly.”

At the height of the investigation, eight officers were assigned to the case, while the help of specialist teams, including divers and search units, was also sought.

However, the team has since been disbanded, although Det Insp Addison will oversee any new leads.

Earlier this week, Ms Durbin, of Hollesley, told how the discoveries of the remains of Dinah McNicol and Vicky Hamilton in Margate had prompted fears she will one day face the same horrific situation.

However, Det Insp Addison said there was still hope.

“When the BBC ran a programme about run-aways, in which Luke was featured, there was a story of a girl who had been missing for seven years but suddenly made contact with her parents,” he said.

“It's unusual that people go missing for unknown reasons only to resurface several years later, so I don't want to be unrealistic, but there's still hope.”

Luke was last seen at 4am on May 12, 2006 after he was captured on CCTV in the Buttermarket area of Ipswich.

Anyone with information on Luke's whereabouts should call Suffolk police on 01473 613500 or the National Missing Persons Helpline on 0500 700700.

For more information about Luke's disappearance, visit www.findluke.com.