A missing schoolgirl who left the UK on the Eurotunnel train is believed to have gone to Poland where her mother lives.



Serena Alexander-Benson, 13, was last seen by her father leaving their home in Wimbledon, south-west London, at about 7.50am on Friday.

A public appeal was shared widely on social media after she did not arrive at school that morning.

Police said Serena left the country from Folkestone, in Kent, on Friday.

She is believed to have travelled in a car to Poland with a female friend of her mother’s, the Met said.

A spokesman for the force said: “Detectives are not releasing further details at this stage of the route Serena and the woman have taken, nor of how it has been established that they are in Poland, where Serena’s mother lives.”

He added: “The priority of officers is to confirm Serena’s exact whereabouts and confirm that she is safe. Any potential offences will be considered in due course.”