Family appeals to missing schoolgirl

The parents of a schoolgirl who is believed to be with a man she met online have appealed for her to contact them.

Laura Stainforth, 15, was last seen by her parents on 14 January when she left home in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire.

Humberside Police believe she is with Robert Williams, 49, who is also known as Dave Ingram.

Her parents, Debra and Robert, said in their message: "Please contact us as we miss you. You are not in trouble; we just want to be able to see you and hug you and try and help you. And your brother misses you too. Please contact us or the police, or please let us know you are well and safe."

Laura was last seen by her parents when she left home to go to the shops at about 3.30pm and was reported missing six hours later when she failed to return home.

The teenager and Mr Williams were captured on CCTV footage at Grimsby railway station the same day.

Detectives believe they took a train to Doncaster, South Yorkshire, before travelling to London, and on to Dover.

Laura was spotted by a member of the public in Dover the following day.

Officers have been examining internet traffic and social networking sites in the hope of finding clues to Laura's whereabouts.

The teenager is described as white, of medium build, with dark brown, shoulder-length hair. She was last seen wearing a cream-coloured zip-up jacket and blue jeans and black trainers.