Pierre Barnes: Schoolboy cyclist feared lost on Porquerolles island It's difficult to say what you can do when you are cold and frightened. Mr Barnes, from Grantham, Lincs, and his wife of almost 20 years, Florence, 43, originally from Moisenay, a short distance to the south-east of Paris, maintained a vigil at a local fire station. They were joined by their other three children, aged between 17, 15 and 13. Tonight, unconfirmed reports suggested Pierre could have become disoriented as some of the worst storms in the past decade lashed the island. Locals said the island's tracks and paths were extremely narrow and in some places got dangerously close to the cliffs but it was the first time a child had gone missing. Neighbours described the family, who had hired a private apartment on the island, which is 22 miles south-west of the port Toulon, as "lovely," adding that their £500,000 detached home was formerly used as the official residence for the Bishop of Grantham. Today authorities and more than 150 local volunteers combed the island, which covers four square miles and is inhabited by 200 people, in a huge ground, sea and air search operation amid atrocious conditions including poor visibility, 80mph gale-force winds and rough seas with up to 20-foot waves. The family hired bikes shortly after arriving on the island at 2pm on Saturday before Pierre set off for a bike ride about four hours later. After he failed to return, his worried parents raised the alarm just after 9pm but a large-scale search, including two helicopters, Zodiac dinghies and sniffer dogs, failed to find the boy amid worsening conditions. Search teams this morning discovered his damaged bicycle, which had a "derailed chain," next to one of his shoes near a coastal path in the south-west corner of the island a short distance from the Crique de Brigoncennais. Despite further reinforcements being drafted in yesterday and the storms started to abate efforts were hampered by rocky escarpments and thick undergrowth combined with fallen trees and debris. Rescuers themselves even got lost. The search has been abandoned and is set to resume tomorrow. Locals on the island told The Daily Telegraph that the area is popular with tourists and is considered a safe area to explore. "The island is the safest place in the world," said one local hotel owner. I have children and would never, ever think twice about letting them go off on their bicycles alone. This is very worrying for everyone in the village. Veronique Fleury, from Le Pelican water taxi which runs transfers to the island, said the whole island was worried for the family. She said: "Everyone is trying and trying to find him. We went all night long, all across the island hoping to find him. It was very rough weather and at sea. "We hoped he just had a problem with the bicycle or got lost in the forest, but he's still missing."His family are waiting very anxiously for news." Clement Perrin, who works at Bar Café du Port, saw Mrs Barnes after she realised her son was missing. He said: "She came in to say she lost her son, and we searched around for him night and day. She was very anxious, and it was very bad. A lot of people are worried because they don't know what has happened. Paul Mourier, the police prefect for the Var region working on the case, said that up to 20 military personnel will join the search today with national park rangers and customs agents who have also joined the search. The island, south of the French Riveria, is a favourite destination for yachtsmen in summer and is visited by thousands of tourists, many of them British.