Has the Loch Ness monster gone missing?

FOR decades, tourists have reported sightings of a strange beast lurking deep within the waters of Loch Ness.

But now Nessie experts have declared the legendary monster ‘missing’, and admitted they are worried by the lack of recent appearances.

After a spike in sightings last year – the most recorded since 2000 – the loch seems to have fallen eerily quiet.

Gary Campbell, president of the Official Loch Ness Monster Fan Club which records sightings, said the beast had not been seen in eight months. He added: ‘Last year was a record year with eight sightings, then she seems to have disappeared... I am very concerned she seems to have gone missing.’

Nessie sightings are only recorded if they are completely unexplained.

The last entry was logged on August 21 last year when Ian Campbell, a govern- ment worker from Argyll, claimed he saw two 33ft creatures gliding through the western part of the loch. This was backed up on the same day by a Mr Smith, who reported seeing something similar in a different part of the loch.

Nessie sightings are more common in summer, due to better weather and the fact there are more tourists around.

The last time the monster disappeared for this long was in 2014. At the time, experts suggested Nessie might have died or gone into hibernation, but eventually there were more ‘sightings’.

Professor Neil Gemmell, of New Zealand’s University of Otago, recently revealed plans to test the waters of the loch for traces of unusual DNA, in yet another attempt to solve the mystery.