MYSTERY surrounds the discovery of a man who claims he has no recollection of how he came to be bound and left in the back of his van in remote North-East countryside.

The 29-year-old, from the Durham area, was heard screaming for help and banging on the inside of the van by huntsmen out riding in rural Northumberland.

Members of the Border Hunt raised the alarm after opening the doors and making the startling discovery at West Woodburn, near Bellingham, on the A68 on Monday.

The man’s face was covered and he had ties on his ankles and wrists.

Police have said they are keeping "an open mind" as to how the van ended up in the layby near Low Leam Farm.

Weather conditions at the time were close to freezing and he was taken to hospital in case he was suffering hypothermia.

He later told police he had no recollection of how he ended up in West Woodburn - and officers are appealing for the public's help to unravel the mystery.

Jackie Raine, who lives nearby, said: “Nobody has a clue who he was or what he was doing there.

“Everybody in this area is absolutely astounded. Nobody heard or saw anything.

“It is not like this is an everyday occurrence. There has never been anything like this. We are quite a quiet community.

“It is certainly different and has kept us all talking for a wee while. It is a bit of a mystery.”

Police said the man does not remember anything after 2.30pm on New Year's Day when he was driving in the Durham area.

The van, a purple Mercedes Benz Vito 109 CDI Compact panel van, registration NJ54VFB, was spotted heading north on the A1 on Monday, January 2 at 6.15am.

The alarm was raised at 3.38pm - more than 24 hours after he is able to provide details of his whereabouts.

A woman who works in the nearby Bay Horse pub said: “He was found in the back of a van by some hunt people, he did not know how he got there and had been tied up.

“Apparently, the van was shaking because he was banging on the side. I do not know how long he had been in there but it was quite cold that night.

“Everyone is very surprised by it because it is not the kind of thing that happens around here.

“Everyone is very concerned about it and people are talking about it.”

Northumbria Police is investigating but cannot say where in the Durham area the man is from or where he last remembers being.

A spokesman said: “The man was found with some ties to his ankles and wrists but was in a confused state and unable to say how this had happened.

“The 29-year-old man from the Durham area was taken to NSEC hospital in Cramlington as a precaution with a minor injury.

“The van was seen parked at the site in West Woodburn sometime around 7.30am the same morning.

“The van was not damaged and had not been in a collision, and is being forensically examined.”

Officers are working with the victim to establish the full circumstances of what has occurred and are keen to speak to anyone who may be able to help police with their enquiries.

The spokesman added: “Police would like to reassure the public that reports of such incidents are extremely unusual.”