The man, believed to be in his 80s, went missing from the Forest Hills area of Chirk, close to the old barrack houses, yesterday evening.

Members of the community were drafted in to help, as the North East Wales Search and Rescue (NEWSAR) team launched an operation across the town and the surrounding area involving more than 20 people, search dogs and a helicopter from South Wales.

NEWSAR team leader Iain Ashcroft confirmed a full-scale operation had been carried out to find the man, who was identified as being particularly vulnerable, meaning time was of the essence.

He said: "The man had a heart condition and various other illnesses, so it was vital we could get to him in time. If we did not find him quickly, there was a very real danger to his safety.

"We searched up as far as the McDonalds restaurant on the dual carriageway, it was a major operation for us across a wide area."

Chirk North county councillor and chairman of North Wales Police Authority Ian Roberts' son was involved with the search.

Cllr Roberts said: "There was clearly a lot of concern, as they had NEWSAR out. They came out between 8.30pm-9pm, and were out there for some time."

This morning, Mr Ashcroft confirmed the man had been found safe and well about three hours in to the search.

He said: "He turned up around midnight, and we were pleased the incident had a successful outcome."