Two teenage girls have appeared in court charged with kidnapping a two-year-old with the intention of committing a sexual offence.

The sisters, aged 13 and 14 from Tyneside, are jointly charged with kidnapping with intent to commit a relevant sexual offence and stealing dummies, a baby bottle, and milk.

The girls are said to have taken the two-year-old, who was a complete stranger to them, from Primark on Northumberland Street, Newcastle, on Wednesday afternoon - sparking a major police search in the city that lasted nearly two hours.

Police said the toddler was taken from a Primark on Northumberland Street at around 5pm on Wednesday evening

The girls, who cannot be named for legal reasons, spoke only to confirm their names, addresses and dates of birth at South East Northumberland Magistrates Court today.

It is alleged that they also stole dummies from Boots and a baby bottle and milk from Sainsbury's.

The two-year-old girl was located and reunited with her mother in Gosforth Central Park, more than two miles away from the Primark store, around an hour and 45 minutes later and the teens were arrested on suspicion of kidnapping.

The siblings were charged last night and remanded in custody until they appeared before magistrates today.

The teens were only accompanied by two social workers and no family members were present in court.

Wearing grey track suits, the girls maintained sombre expressions as they sat in the dock separated by security guards.

Lee Poppett, prosecuting, said: 'The two-and-a-half-year-old girl was missing for one hour and 45 minutes.

'The crown would be suggesting that there is evidence to support the charges.'

Alanna Wessencraft, defending, said: 'These are two young girls, 13 and 14.

'I am not suggesting unconditional bail but there is nothing in their history to suggest that they would not abide by conditions.'

The young girl was later seen in a Sainsbury's supermarket on Gosforth High Street (pictured)

District Judge Roger Elsey withheld bail saying: 'You appreciate that you are charged with very serious offences.

'I am going to withhold bail and remand you to the local authority. You must live and sleep at the address provided by them.'

District Judge Elsey also ordered that the teens wear a tag and were subject to a 7pm to 7am curfew.

They will appear before North Tyneside Youth Court on May 13.

The girl was said to have been taken from a Primark store in Newcastle city centre and was spotted in a branch of Sainsbury's before police were scrambled to Gosforth Central Park (pictured)

Officers trawled through CCTV from Newcastle City Council, local shops, Newcastle University, bus companies, the Metro and their own cameras in search of the child.

After searching for more than an hour the girl was found more than two miles away by a police community support officer and reunited with her mother.

The teenagers were arrested in Gosforth Central Park.

The mother later had a tearful reunion with her daughter after police swept in on the two teenage 'kidnappers' who allegedly led the toddler to the park.

One Sainsbury's employee said the girls were seen in the supermarket and then were tracked to one of two play areas in the park.

The man, who did not want to be named, said: 'Police had blocked off all the entrances and they were stopped up near the shopping centre.'

A PCSO found the toddler more than an hour later in Gosforth, north Newcastle - more than two miles from where she was last seen

A security guard, who lives near Gosforth Central Park, but did not wish to be named, said: 'There were eight police cars and two police vans surrounding Gosforth park between six and six thirty last night.

'There were also cars and vans at South Gosforth metro station, but I don't know how many were there.

A pub worker in Gosforth, who did not want to be named, said there was a lot of police activity at the metro station.

'I finished work just after six and went to get the metro home,' he said.

'There were two police cars and a riot van waiting at the station, and there were other cars by the park.

'There were police officers patrolling the carriages of the metro when I went home.'

Chief Inspector Dave Gould said: 'Thankfully the child was quickly located by officers and then reunited with her mother.

'This has been an incredibly distressing time for the girl's family and specialist officers are working with and supporting the family.

'We mobilised all available local police resources to make sure the girl was found as quickly as possible and also included assistance from the public, and many of our partner agencies including Newcastle local authority and university as well as staff from retail premises, bus companies, train station and metro system.

'I would like to thank all of those involved for their help in finding this little girl and helping reunite her with her mother.

'Our enquiries will now continue to establish the circumstances of what happened and speaking to the two teenage girls in custody regarding the incident.'

Catherine McKinnell, Labour MP for Newcastle North, praised the police and the other organisations involved in quickly finding the girl, saying on Twitter that it was 'every parent's nightmare'.