'Grave concern' for missing girl

Police hope recent pictures will jog peoples' memories

Police searching for the missing teenager Danielle Jones say they are "very gravely concerned" about her whereabouts.

The 15-year-old disappeared in East Tilbury, Essex, on her way to school.

Officers have been searching a landfill site near her home, on the 10th day since her disappearance.

We are in the process of planning a search involving members of the public on Saturday

Essex Police

They will give details later on Thursday of how the public can get involved in a wider search over the weekend.

The police have ruled out a suspected sighting of Danielle in Lancashire.

A young woman fitting the schoolgirl's description was seen at a hotel in Blackpool.

Checks with friends she met on a school field trip in the West country have also thrown up no fresh leads.

Danielle has not been seen since leaving home on 18 June to catch a bus to school.

An Essex Police spokeswoman said there had been a "terrific response" from the public with more than 300 calls to a special hotline.

"We carried out an inquiry where a girl fitting Danielle's description was seen at the hotel in Blackpool and we have now found that girl and spoken to her.

Danielle: "Hopes are fading"

"We have finished in the West country where Danielle had been on a school trip and nothing significant has come out of that.

"We are still making inquiries in the north west where we know Danielle had made a number of contacts and had kept in touch by text messaging."

More than 200 posters featuring a picture of the teenager, produced by a local newspaper, have been put up in the Thurrock area, including Tilbury and the Lakeside shopping centre.

Police set up an information page on the internet on Wednesday dedicated to the search.

A home video tape of Danielle has also been released in the hope that it will provide a clue to her whereabouts.

No positive sightings

The detective leading the hunt for the missing schoolgirl said that hopes of finding her alive were fading the longer there was no news of her.

Police hope the two-minute tape and the internet page will jog someone's memory.

Detective Superintendent Peter Coltman said: "In school uniform she looked completely different so we are hoping to get as many images of her out as possible.

"I hope if anyone has seen her or recognises her from the clip they will now come forward."

Police describe Danielle as a shy girl and say she had no reason to disappear.

Danielle's mother made a public appeal

She was last seen wearing her black and grey school uniform and a girl matching her description was seen getting into a blue Transit van, in nearby Coronation Avenue, shortly after Danielle set off.

Police are not sure whether it was Danielle, or whether she got into the van willingly.

Danielle's parents Linda, 41, and Tony, 40, have made an emotional plea for help in finding their daughter.

Children at the teenager's school, St Clere's Secondary School in Stanford-le-Hope, have also been urged to contact police if they have any information.

Danielle - who lives with her parents and younger brother - is 5ft 7in, slim, with blue eyes and long blonde hair and a brace on her teeth.

On Monday morning Essex Police released a man from Thurrock, Essex, whom they had been holding on suspicion of abduction.

The man, who is in his early 40s, was freed on police bail until 22 August.