British tourist and friend missing in Australia after belongings were found on beach amid 'terrible' sea conditions

A British tourist has gone missing from a popular beach in Australia alongside his French companion.

Police have launched a search for 20-year-old Englishman Hugo Palmer and his friend Erwan Ferrieux, also 20, after items belonging to the pair were discovered at Shelly Beach, on the New South Wales coast between Sydney and Brisbane.

Walkers found their belongings at about 6.30am on Monday, and police later discovered their rental car in the beach's car park with a number of personal items, including travel documents, inside.

New South Wales Police said they had carried out a water and ground search, but there had not yet been any sign of the pair.

Sources told local news outlets the backpackers are believed to have gone swimming, and Sydney locals said the beach was known for snorkeling and scuba diving due to the fact the water was usually calm there.

But Inspector Michael Aldridge told the Port Macquarie News surf conditions had been "terrible" over the past few days. He believes the missing pair had arrived in the area on Sunday morning, just hours before vanishing.

Inspector Aldridge said: "We believe from information provided so far that the items may have been there since Sunday evening as well.

Keys, wallets and glasses are all understood to have been found on the beach along with towels and clothes, while passports were discovered in their rental car.

The officer said the chances of someone surviving being in the water since Sunday "are exceptionally slim".

Police have not disclosed how long Mr Palmer, reported to be from East Sussex, and Mr Ferrieux had been in Australia.

A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said: "Our staff are in contact with police in Australia and the UK following reports of a missing British man at Shelly beach, New South Wales."