A teenage girl who went missing last month has been found in Clacton.

Saffron Sandford disappeared on April 13, when aged 15, leading Essex Police to begin a major investigation.

Clacton district commander, Chief Inspector Russ Cole, who led the search, issued an appeal this afternoon asking the  now 16-year-old to give herself up.

“While you do not consider yourself as missing, we have had a report saying that you are not where you should be and as such we need to see you and make sure you are well and not in any kind of danger.


“Until we have had contact from you we unable to close our investigation and as such will continue with our efforts to find you safe and well,” he said.

Moments after issuing the appeal, Chief Inspector Cole confirmed Saffron had now been found and would be interviewed by police officers and other agencies to verify her safety.

“She’s only 16. After being away for 17 days, our concerns for her welfare became really high. This is great news for us. We will work with partner agencies to ensure she is looked after,” he said.

Saffron, who was described as 5ft4 with distinctive blue hair, went missing on April 13, but her disappearance was only reported eight days later. She was reported to have links to east London and Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire.

Chief Inspector Cole said Saffron had not been living with her parents before she disappeared and described her living arrangements as “quite a complex set up.”