Police confirm there was no abduction in Felling after reports of girl being forced into van

Northumbria Police investigating reports of a child being forced into a white van are now satisfied that an offence has not taken place.
By Faye Dixon
Published 21st Jul 2019, 09:15 BST
Updated 21st Jul 2019, 14:01 BST
Northumbria Police launched inquiries following a suspicious incident in Felling.Northumbria Police launched inquiries following a suspicious incident in Felling.
Northumbria Police launched inquiries following a suspicious incident in Felling.

Officers investigating reports of a suspicious incident of a girl being forced into a white van on Coldwell Street in Felling have confirmed that the incident did not happen.

Superintendent Karl Wilson was leading the inquiry and has thanked the public for their support and patience. He said "We have taken this report extremely seriously and after following all possible lines of enquiries we are now satisfied an offence has not taken place.

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"Reports of this nature, understandably, concern our communities and can escalate on social media very quickly, as we would very much want should there be a child rescue alert situation. So I would like to thank the public for their support and concern in this matter while we've carried out this investigation.”

Hundreds of worried parents gathered in Felling last night offering to help police in a search for the girl after reports of the abduction spread on social media.

Half a dozen police cars were parked up at the Asda in Felling as officers dealt with the report late last night and police helicopters were seen in the area as the emergency services responded to the report.

Police confirmed at around 1am that the investigation was closed and have said that after a full investigation they are sure that the incident "has not taken place".