JAY SLATER’S family are “desperate” for permission from Spanish cops to use specialist equipment in their fresh search for the missing teen.
Jay’s loved ones are hoping to use drones, radar tracking kit and night vision gear to trawl through the mountains where he was last seen.
But the Slaters are waiting on the green-light from cops in Tenerife to deploy the high-tech search gear.
This latest push in the search for Jay – who has been missing for three weeks tomorrow – could start as early as next week, The Sun can reveal.
A source told Sun Online: “Jay’s family are mindful that every second counts in the hunt for him.
“That’s why they are desperate for permission to be granted that will allow them to use the specialist equipment they’ve identified.
“They’ve been speaking to experts who have suggested items that could help – things like [radar] tracking gear, drones and kit which can help at night-time too.”
Jay’s last known location is up in the Rural de Teno park, a mountainous area in north-west Tenerife.
Police searched a huge area spanning more than 30km in the hills for him – and scoured a 2,000ft ravine for two weeks.
To the devastation of Jay’s family, cops axed the search last Sunday spurring Jay’s dad, uncle and brother to head back up into the mountains themselves.
The new kit, in conjunction with items like metal detectors, could help speed up searching what is a massively vast area.
“At the moment the family are awaiting permission to be able to use the equipment but they are desperately hoping that it will be granted and that they can crack on,” the source said.
“It could be really essential in helping them find clues that lead to Jay.
“In an ideal world the family would like the equipment to be in the hands of those leading the search by next week. That’s what they are pushing for.”
It comes as one of the leading search and rescue experts in Tenerife spoke about the hunt.
Santiago Carlos, the spokesperson for missing persons services SOS Desaparecidos, slammed the wild speculation about Jay which has swirled across social media.
He told The Sun: “Surely something has happened to that young man, but there is too much information between Tenerife and the United Kingdom, too much speculation that does a lot of damage, not only to the family members but also to the investigation and the search itself.”
Jay’s devastated mum Debbie Duncan has also spoken out against vicious trolls in an emotional plea, slamming those online making wild claims.
Last week it emerged that cops in Tenerife told the family of the missing Lancashire teenager they can bring-in their own search and rescue teams.
The 19-year-old apprentice bricklayer from Oswaldtwistle was last heard from on June 17th, after embarking on a 10-hour walk home from an Airbnb up in the north.
A GoFundMe set up by the last person to speak to Jay, his friend Lucy Mae Law, hit £50,000 on Friday evening.
The teenager’s family says they want to use some of the funds to pay for specialists to help look for the teenager.
In a statement on the GoFundMe appeal Get Jay Slater Home, Debbie thanked the “vast” generosity of donors.
She said her family are “grateful for all of your support and kindness during this unimaginable time”.
