The family of a North East dad who has spent almost four months locked in a Taliban prison has pleaded for his safe return.

Kevin Cornwell, 53, from Middlesbrough, was arrested by Afghan intelligence officers in a Kabul hotel on January 11.

The charity medic was accused of having an illegal handgun in the safe in his room - but his family back home in Britain say he had been granted a licence and the situation is a 'misunderstanding'.

They have now issued a desperate plea for Mr Cornwell, who suffers chronic kidney issues and requires urgent hospital treatment, to be freed after 15 weeks of detention in a secret cell.

A family spokesperson said they have been gripped by 'devastation, fear, and anxiety' as his health continues to fail and contact is strictly limited by the General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI).

"Imagine yourself, as a family, as a wife and mother, a son or a daughter, and your husband is held in a country across the other side of the world by a foreign intelligence service,' a spokesperson for the family said.

“This man, who is the heart of our family, might die from the absence of medical treatment – not because he committed a crime, but because he cared for people."

Mr Cornwell was working in Afghanistan for Iqarus, a non-profit medical agency supporting United Nations missions to provide free healthcare to people in conflict zones.

He has now been held without charge for 105 days along with a second, unnamed, UK national who manages the hotel in the Afghan capital.

The UK Government says it is actively pursuing negotiations with the Taliban to secure their release and will do 'whatever it takes to ensure that they're safe'.

His family added: "There are no words to express the full extent and impact Kevin's detention has had on all of us.

"His only crime is helping those who cannot help themselves. He is a man who values honour and integrity in everything he undertakes in life.

"For the first six weeks following this devastating news, Kevin's whereabouts were withheld, as was the reason for his detainment. We didn’t even know if Kevin was still alive.'

The Taliban’s General Directive Intelligence (GDI) Service has allowed Mr Cornwell just two brief phone calls with his wife and children in the past 15 weeks and one call to the British Embassy in Doha, Qatar.

Scott Richards, from non-profit Presidium Network, is negotiating with the Taliban on Kevin’s behalf and lobbying the UK Government to push for his release.

He said: “We are no longer in a position where we have the allowance of time for extended deliberations on the release of the detainees, Kevin’s health necessitates it.

"If Kevin were to die in GDI custody, the ramifications for the Taliban would be broad.

"The evidence clearly indicates that the situation is a misunderstanding and there is now a risk of fatality due to the inability to provide medical care, which is of extreme concern."

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said the UK government is 'in negotiations' over the release of Kevin and the two other Brits.