"If he's still out there - he's still welcome home."

That's the message from the sister of a missing man whose last known sighting was on Portland. 

More than 28 years on, the family of Marcus Rigby are still desperate to be reunited with him.

His devastated family have appeared on Channel 5 TV programme Vanished: The Search for Britain's Missing, in their quest to find Marcus, who they describe as 'a very gentle, kind-natured person who had a great sense of humour.'

His sisters Nicola Earnshaw and Sam Heke made a direct plea to their brother to come home, with Cumbria Police confirming that the case remains open.

Nicola said: “Rediscovering what happened to Marc, it’s an emotional journey, but at the end of the day Marc is his own person and there’s no pressure.

“I would never want to put him under any kind of pressure at all. That’s not what this is about, it’s just about reaching out. If he’s still out there, he’s still welcome home.”

Vanished: The Search for Britain's Missing, presented by Dan Walker, took the renewed search for Marcus, also known as Marc, to Weymouth and Portland.

Marcus vanished in April 1995 aged 27.

He suddenly moved away from Grange-over-Sands in Cumbria to start a new life by the sea in Dorset. 

Portions of the Channel 5 programme were filmed in Weymouth, with enquiries into Marcus's whereabouts taking the cameras to a local project offering food to the homeless at Bethany Hall in Westham Road.

The family teamed up with specialists from Locate International, who were shown to visit places they think might be relevant to Marcus armed with a new tool - an age progression image in a bid to jog people's memories.

Dorset Echo: The search for Marcus comes to Weymouth The search for Marcus comes to Weymouth (Image: Channel 5)

Nicola said: “It’s like having a hole missing in your family. It always has been. It always will be until we know what the answer is. It’s like you are never complete really.

“We’re always waiting, expecting."

Dorset Echo:

Back in 1995 Marcus had met up with his mum to tell her he was heading to the West Country to make a fresh start.

He promised he would be in touch in a week’s time once he had settled in.

Unfortunately, that call never came. It was established he stayed with his aunt for a couple of days then headed to Weymouth to look for work.

The last confirmed sighting of Marcus was six months after he disappeared at a bed & breakfast in Artists Row on Portland.

His family have made the journey to Dorset many times to extensively search and make enquiries. They are desperate to hear from him and know he is safe. Each year the family buy him a Christmas present in the hope he will return.

Marcus is described as being 5ft 11in, of slim build and with brown hair.

There has been numerous sightings of him over the years, all in and around the Weymouth area, and some reports suggest he might go by the name of Marc Smith.

Vanished: The Search for Britain's Missing, episode 3, featuring the disappearance of Marcus Rigby can be seen on Channel 5's on demand service My5.

Anyone who has any information to help find Marcus can contact the charity Missing People on the free and confidential number 116 000.