Police release new CCTV in hunt for missing firefighter Anthony Knott

27 December 2019, 19:35

Police investigating the disappearance of a firefighter from a night out have released a new image of his last known sighting.

Anthony Knott went missing on December 20 after leaving The Lamb pub in Lewes, East Sussex, alone.

The 33-year-old from Orpington, Kent, had been with a group of friends and it is not known why he left just after 7.15pm.

His family have since confirmed a sighting of him walking up Market Street – back towards The Lamb – at 7.41pm.

This is 20 mins after his phone was switched off, according to the time captured on the CCTV image.

Specialist teams have carried out extensive searches of the area surrounding the pub and the Pells Pool area, which has been severely affected by flood water over the past few days.

Chief Inspector Sarah Godley said: “We have reviewed CCTV footage from a number of premises such as homes and businesses, and we are continuing to retrieve and review further footage as we attempt to find out what happened to Anthony.

“We hope this latest image of him may jog someone’s memory or help provide some new information about his disappearance.

“Our searches have included local officers, drones and the dog unit, and we have also been assisted by London Fire Brigade, East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, the National Police Air Service helicopter, Sussex Search and Rescue and the Coastguard agency in our quest to locate Anthony.

“The area we have searched includes Pells Pool and Pellbrook Cut, as well as bins, street furniture, alleyways and dark areas.

“In addition to the local area, we have also extended our search of the River Ouse north towards Hamsey, and we will continue to search for Anthony until we get the answers his family are so desperately seeking. Seven days on, our priority remains to find him.

“A further search of the Pells Pool area and the river will be carried out over the weekend as the natural water level falls.

“The flood water has made our operation challenging, but we remain committed to finding Anthony.”

Anthony is described as white, approximately 6', of medium build and with medium-brown short gelled hair.

He was last seen wearing a black long-sleeved top, a dark denim suit-style jacket, dark denim jeans and black shoes.

He is also said to have a distinctive walk, with a slight bounce.