A FARNHAM man has ‘gone into hiding’ after being identified as the author of an explosive dossier containing claims about the US President-elect Donald Trump.

Christopher Steele, 52, a former MI6 officer and owner of London-based Orbis Business Intelligence, reportedly fled his home on Wednesday morning after asking neighbours to look after his cat.

It comes after he was named in connection with an unverified 35-page document alleging Russia colluded with Mr Trump’s presidential campaign and that Russian security services have material that could be used to blackmail the president-elect.

British media was initially prevented from making Mr Steele’s details public after the government issued a ‘D-notice’. However, this ‘gentleman’s agreement’ was lifted at 10pm on Wednesday.

It has since been widely reported that the father-of-four was hired by a Washington firm to gather information on Mr Trump’s connections to Russia, funded at first by anti-Trump Republicans and, later, by Democrats. He also shared the information with the FBI.

According to The Telegraph, a source close to Mr Steele said he was “horrified” when his identity was published by the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday and fled his home “terrified for his and his family’s safety”.

The source added Mr Steele now fears a “prompt and potentially dangerous backlash” from Russia following the revelations which have rocked US politics this week.

Mr Steele reportedly worked as an expert on Russia for some two decades during his time at MI6, and was sent to Moscow as a spy in 1990.

After leaving the British intelligence service, Mr Steele founded Orbis Business Intelligence Ltd with his business partner and fellow director Christopher Burrows in 2009.

He has lived in the large, detached home with his wife and four children for about 18 months.

One of Mr Steele’s neighbourr told The Telegraph: “He asked me to look after his cat as he would be gone for a few days. I’m not sure where he’s gone or how to contact him. I don’t really know much about him except to say hello.

“We’re all pretty secretive round here to be honest. All I know is he runs some sort of consultancy business.”

The British Government has declined to say whether Mr Steele is being assisted by official agencies, commenting only that there is a “standard process that is followed with regard to the naming of people that have worked in certain roles in the Civil Service, be they serving or former roles”.

Giving his first press conference since the US election on Wednesday, Mr Trump said the reports about his activities in Russia were “phony” and “false”, likening the situation to Nazi Germany.

Accusing the intelligence agencies of leaking the dossier to the press, Mr Trump said: “I think it was disgraceful that the intelligence agencies allowed any information that turned out to be so false and fake out.

“I think it’s a disgrace, and that’s something that Nazi Germany would have done and did do.”

The Kremlin has also dismissed the allegations as “complete fabrication and utter nonsense”, insisting that the Russian government “does not engage in collecting compromising material”.