THE family of missing student Steve Cook has been handed a glimmer of hope by a poster of an unidentified man that is being circulated in Crete.

Steve's family are currently trying to determine whether the man on the poster, spotted in the island's Hosonissos area, is the 20-year-old avid Liverpool supporter or an Irish youngster previously identified by the family.

The poster shows a white man with half of his face bruised and swollen, and blue and white tubes coming out of his mouth.

Steve's family were originally informed about the poster by a Dutchman and further sightings have confirmed that it is genuine.

His brother Chris, of Chillingham Close, Middlewich, said: "At the moment we're trying to determine whether this could be Steve or a poster of the young Irish lad that we went to the university hospital to identify.

"Unfortunately the Irish lad has passed away as a result of his injuries from a biking accident, but the difference in descriptions from the initial poster put up of the Irish lad and this new one are quite distinct."

Steve, a student at Liverpool University, disappeared on September 1 just hours after he and a group of 15 friends arrived at the Greek resort of Malia.

The alarm was raised after Steve failed to return to the hotel after a night out, and since then a search party made up of friends, family, ex-pats and the local authorities has been scouring the island in search of the 20-year-old.

Steve's brother Tony and cousin Mike flew back to Crete on Friday to continue the search, which will now involve a check of the island's hospitals.

More than £3,000 has so far been raised to help the search.

People willing to help in any way can find out more information at www.findstevecook.co.uk.