Suspect driver still at large

A motorist seen struggling with two children in a car near where schoolgirls Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells were last seen has not been traced.

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Hebb said there had been a surge in numbers of people offering information since the sighting was publicised - around 1,800 in 24 hours.

But he added: "Despite an exceptional number of calls to our incident room in the last 24 hours, the driver of that car has not yet come forward.

"We would reiterate our appeal to that driver."

Mr Hebb also again defended police handling of the inquiry after criticism from a taxi driver who claims he saw the motorist struggling with two children in the green car near where the schoolgirls were last seen.

Describing for the first time what could prove a vital breakthrough in the hunt, Ian Webster said he initially contacted police five days before his sighting was made public.

He spoke to police three times before a detective from the search team finally interviewed him.

Mr Hebb told reporters at a news conference: "All I can do is reiterate that every piece of the vast amount of information we have received is extremely important and treated seriously.

"Each and every piece of information is assessed and prioritised according to the current direction of the inquiry."