A man missing from his moorland tent home for six weeks, and feared dead by police, has made contact with his distressed family.

Paul Jefferson has hand-delivered a letter to the home of two of his children in Wyke, Bradford.

Now the rest of his close family are begging him to make contact again.

Mr Jefferson, 38, a jobless window fitter who was living in a tent in woodland next to Ponden reservoir, at Stanbury, was last seen on March 3.

He left behind the small blue tent he had lived in since October last year, a hire car and keys, and other personal documents.

Police combed the moorland, swept the area in a helicopter and divers searched the reservoir.

They understood that he had been suffering from depression.

Divorced Mr Jefferson, who has a house in Foston Lane, Bradford, where his 20-year-old son, Andrew Halliday, lives, delivered a note to the house in Wyke on Wednesday.

Police are having it examined by a handwriting expert to make sure it is genuine.

It was addressed to his two younger children, 15-year-old Mick and his daughter, Toni, 13. It was apologetic and told them not to worry about him because he was all right.

His cousin, mother-of-two Caron Callaghan, of Hillcrest Road, Thornton, said the family was relieved to hear he was safe.

"We were thinking the worst. We're still really anxious and begging him to contact us -- to ring me if he feels that would be better," she said.

"We don't want to go through this anymore -- it's been sheer hell.

"His daughter is losing her hair because she is so worried. His son is very distressed and so is his brother, Noel.

"He always told me he wouldn't do anything stupid, but I must admit I was waiting for the police to ring with bad news. To live with that for six weeks is very hard."

She said when the letter arrived, Toni clung on to it and would not let it go.

"She cried in my arms. Mick is quiet and subdued. We are making a plea for Paul to contact us. He can contact me at any time, 24 hours a day -- I will be here for him."

Mrs Callaghan said that when she and Noel visited the tent to collect Paul's belongings they were astounded.

"We understood it was a nice camp site with hot and cold running water and toilets. But it was completely out in the wilds in the middle of nowhere," she said.

She now believes Paul must be somewhere in the Bradford area in order to have hand delivered the letter.

Det Insp Bob Iles, of Keighley police, said officers had feared that Mr Jefferson had died.

"We are still concerned for his mental health. He is still officially a missing person and we need him to make contact with us, even if it is in confidence," he said. The family believed the letter was genuine, but a handwriting expert was being called in to examine the writing, he added.

He urged Mr Jefferson to telephone Keighley police on 01535 617059.