Searches are continuing for a young girl who knocked on a front door in a seaside town and said she was lost.

Devon and Cornwall Police were called to the Hele area of Torquay after the child, estimated to be around six years old, was seen alone at 11am on Wednesday.

The girl had knocked on the door of a property and said she was lost before running away.

She is described as a white female with long blonde hair tied up in pig tails, of skinny build and wearing a black coat.

Following the initial call to police yesterday morning, we have not received any further reports of sightings of the girl or any reports of missing children in the area

Officers, the police helicopter, and search and rescue dogs attempted to locate the girl on Wednesday but were unsuccessful.

A spokeswoman for Devon and Cornwall Police said: “Following our media appeal, we received a number of calls from the public providing information which officers followed up last night.

“At this time, we have not been able to identify the young girl seen in the picture.

“Following the initial call to police yesterday morning, we have not received any further reports of sightings of the girl or any reports of missing children in the area.

“We are still keen to identify the girl and check on her safety and welfare. Our enquiries will continue today and I would encourage people to keep reporting any relevant information to us.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact the force on 101, quoting log 227 of April 5.