Teenage runaway sightings

Amanda McDonnell is "besotted" with her 17-year-old boyfriend

Police involved in an international search for a missing 14-year-old British girl who has run away from her home in Spain with her boyfriend are concentrating their search in Scotland.

There has been reported sightings of Amanda McDonnell and 17-year-old Steven Laing north of the border along with the car they ran away in.

The couple left Amanda's home near Alicante, Spain, at 0400 BST on September 12, taking a Belgian-registered grey Opel Omega estate car belonging to her family.

The car is believed to have been seen in the Kirkintilloch area close to Glasgow.

A Strathclyde Police spokeswoman said a call had been made to the Crimestoppers phoneline reporting that a car matching the description of the Opel had been seen in a lay-by near Kirkintilloch just after midnight on 16 September.

She said a search of the area had found no trace of the vehicle or the couple and that officers in nearby Bishopbriggs were continuing to search for the car.

"Besotted" couple

The couple, said to be "besotted" with each other by relatives, are believed to have false passports which show they are 18, and Amanda's mother and stepfather, Carol and Malcolm Beech, suspect the pair have taken a ferry to Britain.

Officers from Grampian Police are making enquiries into a possible sighting of the pair in the Moray area at 1020 BST Tuesday.

DESCRIPTIONS OF THE COUPLE Amanda: 5 ft 7 in tall, slim, blue rose tattoo on abdomen, sharp features, fair complexion and fair hair Steven: 5 ft 7 in tall, uneven complexion, short brown hair, name tattooed down his spine in Chinese or Japanese; Glaswegian accent Anyone seeing them is asked to contact their local police or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

A young couple stopped at Brodie service station, five miles from Forres on the A96, and a woman working there thought the girl bore a resemblance to Amanda.

Inspector Willie Robertson said: "The woman was caught on CCTV at the filling station and police are examining the tape.

"We are trying to make a reasonable assessment of whether the girl might be Amanda or not."

Officers are also interviewing people who were at the filling station at the time.

Yesterday Steven's mother, Susan Laing, 35, said she believed the couple were heading to Perth, Scotland, where his family used to live.

Amanda, who was born in Stoke-on-Trent, went to live in Spain a year ago when her family moved from Wolverhampton.

Steven had been living with Amanda's family before the couple fled.

Steven met Amanda in a bar where he was working

The couple met four or five months ago, when Steven worked at a local bar at Alfaz del Pi, between Altea and Benidorm, Spain.

Mrs Beech, 43, said the teenagers also took money and credit cards when they left.

Sharp features

Amanda is described as having sharp features, a tanned complexion and fair hair.

She is 5ft 7ins tall and slim with a blue rose tattoo on her abdomen.

She speaks with an English accent but can mimic a Scottish accent.

Amanda suffers from asthma and is receiving medical treatment for anorexia.

She has left without taking an inhaler, despite the fact that she once stopped breathing during an asthma attack.

Steven speaks with a Glasgow accent, has an uneven complexion and short brown hair.

He is 5ft 7ins tall and has his name tattooed down his spine in Chinese or Japanese.

The pair are not believed to be carrying mobile phones, according to police.