The sister of British hostage John Cantlie has made an appeal to Islamic State militants who are holding him.

Jessica Cantlie has spoken in a video, asking the militants for “direct contact”. Cantlie confirms there have been discussions with IS but says contact has been cut off.

The British photojournalist was seized in northern Syria in 2012 and has appeared in several videos reelased by the group. Over the weekend he appeared in another propaganda video.

In a statement, Jessica Cantlie calls for Islamic State to restart dialogue:

Ms Cantlie said: "It is not true to say there has been no attempt to engage with IS. This is simply not accurate.

"This is frustrating for all parties, including those who are trying to assist us.

"We had previously been in contact through a channel started by you. But this stopped for reasons best known to you."

Jessica said she was speaking on behalf of her terminally ill father, Paul, who recently spoke in a public video asking for his son’s safe return.