POLICE say they are working around the clock in their search for two Vietnamese girls who have gone missing in York.

Officers today issued a fresh appeal for help from the public in finding Thi Phan, 15, and 14-year-old Tram Le.

The pair were last seen in the area around York Minster at about 12.30pm yesterday.

It emerged today that the York Rescue Boat was called in by police yesterday to carry out a precautionary search of York's rivers.

Boat spokesman Dave Horn said the crew searched the River Ouse from Clifton Bridge down to the Millennium Bridge and the River Foss from Huntington Road down to the Foss Basin near its confluence with the Ouse but found nothing.

He said the boat crew remained on standby to resume the search if asked by police.

The girls, originally from Vietnam but now living in York, are both around 5ft 2ins tall.

Tram Le was wearing a blue and white top and black trousers and Thi Phan was wearing jeans and a baggy shirt.

Chief Inspector Al Wescott, one of the officers leading the search, said: “Our officers are working around the clock to try to find Thi Phan and Tram Le and today we’ve been exploring a number of lines of enquiry.

“The public’s help could be vital, and we’d urge anyone who thinks they may have seen the girls to get in touch immediately. Any information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, could help our investigation.”

Anyone with information is being urged to phone police on 101 immediately, select option 1 and quote reference number NYP09072017-0296.