TWO men who were both serving sentences at Leyhill Open Prison have absconded.

Avon and Somerset constabulary are appealing for information on the whereabouts of Ashley Tessyman and Mark Cresswell.

The men were last seen on Monday, July 21 and were subsequently reported missing an officers believe that they may be travelling together.

Mr Tessyman, who is 30, is serving a sentence for burglary and robbery in 2006 and has links to Leeds and Cornwall.

He is described as a white man, around 1.66 metres tall with a slim build, fair short hair and blue eyes. He has tattoos on his left arm.

Mr Cresswell is serving a sentence for burglary and handling stolen goods; he is from the Hampshire area and may try to go Portsmouth or Basingstoke.

He is a white man, 1.73 metres tall with an average build, brown eyes and short dark hair with tattoos on his arms.

Detective Constable Clare Ball, who is involved in the search for the two men, said: “Since these men were reported missing to us we’ve been busy conducting enquiries to locate the men.

“We’re now appealing to the public for help locating them and I would ask people to look at their photos and ask themselves if they’ve seen either man recently. If you have please get in touch with us straight away.”

If you’ve seen either man since they disappeared or have information which could help our search please contact DC Clare Ball on 101. If you know where they currently are please call 999 immediately.