News, North East and Cumbria
Family handoutThe search for a woman who has been missing for three days is focusing on running trails she is known to use, police have said.
Jenny Hall, 23, was last seen leaving her home at Barracks Farm, Tow Law, County Durham, on Tuesday just after 15:00 GMT. Her red Ford Focus was found parked on the B6278 between Eggleston and Stanhope.
Ch Insp Dean Haythornthwaite, of Durham Police, said: “We are focusing our search on areas we know Ms Hall likes to run through and we are determined to do everything we can to find her.”
The force said searches were concentrating on routes between Eggleston and Hamsterley after searching moorland for the previous two days.
Digital intelligence officers have conducted extensive inquiries into her mobile phone, smart watch and running apps, but none have yielded any results, the force said.
Ms Hall, a keen long-distance runner, is described as 6ft (1.8m) tall with very long dark hair. She was last seen wearing a blue hoodie with a John Deere logo and dark jogging bottoms.
Her family have now confirmed she may have also been carrying a green jacket and had her hair in a ponytail.
Police teams, specialised sniffer dogs and mountain rescue search teams continue to cover ground with air support, despite the weather being described as “challenging”.
Teesdale and Weardale Search and Mountain Rescue Team (TWSMRT) said more than 30 mountain rescuers and three search dogs had covered more than 100 miles (161km) of paths and tracks on the moors either side of the B6278 since Wednesday.
A spokesperson for TWSMRT thanked the public for offers of help, but individuals were advised not to try and assist as it could “hamper the systematic search”.
Ch Insp Haythornthwaite said police had “become increasingly concerned” for Ms Hall and were “exploring all lines of enquiry, including dozens from members of the public”.
“I would like to thank everyone who is working around-the-clock in our search and efforts to reunite Ms Hall with her family,” he added.
Durham Police is urging anyone with any information to ring 999.
TWSMRT
