Appeal for missing girls at United match

A huge pitch-side billboard appealing for information to find missing Cambridgeshire schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman was unveiled during Manchester United's Champions League clash last night.

The large red sign was in frequent view as Manchester United - the girls' favourite team - lost 1-0 against Zalaegerszegi last night in Budapest, Hungary.

The sign which read "MISSING! Holly & Jessica Call 0500 700 700." prompted floods of calls to the National Missing Persons helpline which put it up.

Both girls were wearing replica red David Beckham shirts when they disappeared 10 days ago from their homes in Soham, Cambridgeshire.

England captain Beckham appealed for them to "go home" two days after they vanished.

A spokeswoman for the helpline said that by half-time its operators were "inundated" with calls about the missing girls.

"We organised the sign for this. We are inundated with calls at the moment and we are faxing through all the information we are receiving to Cambridgeshire Police," she added.

Beckham, the girls' favourite player, was joined by the rest of the Manchester United squad in making an appeal to Holly and Jessica just 48 hours after they disappeared.

A Manchester United spokeswoman said the club had nothing to do with the sign, which was apparently not there before the game started.

"Officially, it is nothing to do with Manchester United. We are not aware of anyone putting it up. I certainly did not see it before kick-off. I do not know how it got there."