New leads in runaways hunt

The pair have been in regular contact since the holiday

Police searching for a runaway 12-year-old and her teenage sweetheart say they have received more than 20 reported sightings of the pair.

Natasha Phillips, 12, from Newport, Isle of Wight, is thought to have run away with Ashley Lamprey, 15, from Ackworth, West Yorkshire.

Police believe they met up in the Northampton area but have probably now moved on.

They said they were partiularly interested in a sighting of the pair in a Harvester resaurant in Northampton at around 2000 BST on Wednesday.

He said: "We have had about 20 calls from all over the country from people who may or may not have seen our two.

"Officers are also going round to the family address in Newport to continue inquiries with the family."

Natasha's parents appealed for the pair to let them know they are safe

Natasha, who met Ashley in Greece earlier this year, was last seen at her Newport home by her mother on Tuesday morning.

She left a note for her family saying she loved them all. Ashley also went missing on the same morning.

Natasha's mother, Michelle Clark, said: "Natasha, I just want to know that you are okay and you are with Ashley, and that you are both safe.

"We love you very much and we just want you to come home."

'Typical romance'

Ashley's mother Karen, 38, said the youngsters had had a "typical teenage holiday romance".

She said: "They became really close and spent virtually every day together."

The mother added that when Ashley returned home they "phoned each other virtually every day and wrote letters".

Natasha 'looks older than 12'

She said she did not go on the holiday where her son met Natasha and thought she was 15 until she had spoken to her parents

Natasha's stepfather George said they had spent time with Ashley and his family in Greece and he was seemed a "normal nipper".

"We talked to his parents and they're very nice people, he's very family orientated, same as Natasha," he said.

It is believed the couple had been planning to meet up for several weeks.

A Hampshire Police spokesman said they believed the couple had several hundred pounds in their possession.