A HEARTBREAKING story has dominated our thoughts this week.

A young father from Chafford Hundred left a New Year’s Eve party in Grays and headed home on foot.

Tragically, he never got there.

After he went missing, there was a phenomenal response to his disappearance.

I’ve said before in this column some people are incredibly quick to knock communities within Thurrock.

They tell you how things aren’t what they used to be, people aren’t what they used to be.

Well, just look at the way the community pulled together to search for this popular, young man.

A campaign to find him gathered tremendous momentum, a credit to his friends, family and loved ones.

Words won’t be able to numb the grief the family, which includes Bradley’s two-month-old son, Archie, will be feeling at the moment.

But I’m sure the young dad would have been extremely proud of the fantastic effort there was to find him.

Our thoughts here at the paper are with his family and friends.