Shannon posters aid police search

Residents have rallied round to help find Shannon

Volunteers are to distribute leaflets and posters as part of the search for missing West Yorkshire schoolgirl Shannon Matthews.

The nine-year-old was last seen on her way home from school in Dewsbury eight days ago. Detectives have conceded she "may have fallen into the wrong hands".

West Yorkshire Police said the incident room had received more than 500 calls.

In addition, 2,000 homes are being visited and 1,500 motorists have been questioned in the hunt for Shannon.

We've got to keep the momentum going... we're not giving up hope that we will find Shannon Dewsbury resident Julie Bushby

Hundreds of residents have also taken part in a march to show support for the girl's parents.

Resident Julie Bushby said: "We're going to be handing out leaflets and posters in the car parks of supermarkets.

"We've got about 50 people together including mums who have dropped their children off at school who are then coming to help out.

"We've got to keep the momentum going. Everyone is remaining positive and we're not giving up hope that we will find Shannon."

Shannon has been missing for more than a week

On Tuesday, Det Insp Andy Brennan, who is leading the investigation, told reporters: "What concerns me greatly at this point is that Shannon is a vulnerable nine-year-old who may have fallen into the wrong hands."

Mr Brennan said he believed the key to Shannon's disappearance lay in the local area.

Police appealed to anyone who was in the Dewsbury Moor area on 19 February to think back to anything unusual they saw that day, or had seen since.

Specialist search dogs that have been trained to sniff out human remains have been used in the investigation and a team of "dedicated scientists" were on hand for detailed forensic examinations.