Jay Slater search teams scour massive area of caves, ravines and towering volcanic cliffs

The area being searched has grown as time has passed.

In the first few days after we arrived, the teams of firefighters, civil guards and mountain rescuers concentrated on the area closest to the house Jay had left on the morning of 17 June.

A team of a dozen council workers scoured the area of land below the outcrop of rock the cluster of small houses were built on.

When nothing was found, the search moved to the next valley, where Jay’s phone last pinged.

At the bottom of the valley, partly hidden by dense undergrowth, lie a few dilapidated farm buildings.

Search dogs were deployed and officers carried out extensive work in the buildings.

Had Jay been there? Was there evidence that he might have come looking for something to drink?

For three or four days, police cars were parked up in the valley. The track to the buildings was closed off by the police and, as we left the area late one night, a patrol car with its headlights on stood guard.

It seemed as though this could be the breakthrough the police had been after.

But then, the next morning, the cars were gone, the track opened up and the search relocated elsewhere.

We trekked down to see why they’d spent so many days in this particular area and found a treasure trove of abandoned items in the wrecked rooms: an empty bottle of sun cream, boxes of tea bags, bottles of water, women’s clothes on hangers, and an old mattress.

Each area had been checked for any sign of Jay having been there but with the police moving on to other search areas, it appears nothing in there was deemed to be important to the investigation.

Jay Slater’s disappearance has an effect on so many people, none more so than his mother and father, who have been in Tenerife since he went missing.

They have called in the support of friends and family to help them cope.

With every passing day, the worry can only be getting worse and that’s what has promoted so many people to donate money to help them. Jay’s mother Debbie Duncan said the funds had been used to help Tenerife’s mountain rescue teams as well as provide help for the family’s living costs on the island while they wait for news.

The concern is shared by others too. Taking part in the weekend search was Livia Karczewski. The 40-year old mother lives in Tenerife and regularly walks in the area Jay was last seen in.