A 13-year-old girl who went missing on her way to school has since left the country “probably in the company of an older person”, police have said.

Serena Alexander-Benson is known to have boarded a Eurotunnel train at Folkestone on Friday morning.

Officers say they are concerned for her welfare and have widened their search.

The youngster was last seen by her father leaving home in Wimbledon, south-west London, at around 7.50am the same day. He reported her missing after she never arrived at school.

Police say she was wearing a green blazer and uniform with her dark brown hair tied up. They appealed for anyone with information or who may have seen her travelling through Folkestone to contact them. She is understood to have gone through passport control there.

She has not been reported missing before, and, while she lives with her father, her mother is based in Poland.

A statement released by the Met Police on Saturday said: “Police are concerned for the welfare of Serena Alexander-Benson, a 13-year-girl who is missing from home in Wimbledon.

“CID officers based at Wandsworth are investigating. Serena has not been missing before.”

It added: “Police enquiries have established that Serena left the UK at Folkestone on the morning of 25 May on a Eurotunnel train. Active lines of inquiry are being pursued to locate her.

“Anyone who may know Serena's whereabouts or who may have seen her as she travelled through Folkestone - probably in the company of an older person - should call officers at Wandsworth CID.”

Independent News Service