SCHOOLFRIENDS of missing ten-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman yesterday made an emotional appeal for their return, as police said the youngsters could now be anywhere in the country - or even abroad.

Jennie White, Natalie Parr, Sean Flack and Reece Jarvis made the plea from their primary school, St Andrews in Soham, Cambridgeshire.

They said they were looking forward to holding a party when the pair return.

In a direct appeal to a possible abductor, Natalie said: "How would you like it if they were your best friends or daughter or anybody just really close to you and you found out that someone had just taken them away.

"It's a really horrible feeling. Just bring them back."

Police last night appealed to everyone in the country to help them find Holly and Jessica.

Detectives believe the two were snatched and are still alive, and have appealed to their abductors to bring them back.

They say the strongest possibility is that the girls are still in the Soham area, but are checking possible sightings all over Britain.

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Hebb, a senior officer in the investigation, said: "We clearly don't know where they are, it's quite possible that they're anywhere in the UK or even abroad."

His colleague, Detective Superintendent David Hankins said: "Wherever you are in the country, please be vigilant. If there are two girls in the area that you have not seen before, they may be Holly and Jessica. We need to hear about it."

Detectives say they have new leads after studying a computer used by the two girls just before they disappeared.

Officers are working on the possibility that the pair might have been lured away by someone they contacted through e-mail or on an internet chatroom.

The girls had been using Holly's computer between 5.11pm and 5.35pm on Sunday, just before they disappeared.