Police fear missing girls abducted Vanessa Allen and Brian Farmer

FEARS were growing last night that two ten-year-old British girls missing since Sunday have been abducted.

A senior detective spoke of his increasing concerns as police released a poignant photograph of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman posing in their Manchester United shirts 90 minutes before they vanished Detective Superintendent David Hankins outlined his fears as a growing search involving more than 250 police failed to find any trace of the youngsters.

“From the outset, we thought this may have been a prank,” said Mr Hankins. “And then we thought there may have been an accident. Now we are having to consider the possibility of abduction.”