THE grandmother of five missing girls has today made a new appeal for her daughter to come forward with the children.

Natalie Bracht, 35, left her home in Sunderland on May 17 with her daughters - Indira, Naima, Elinour, Manjuh and Naomi, aged between five and 13 - when she learned they might be taken into care.

Ms Bracht had been assessed by independent and legally appointed medical experts as suffering from a personality disorder.

They had also expressed concern for the welfare of the girls while in her care.

Ms Bracht's parents - the girls’ grandparents - live in Lage in northern Germany.

Her mother, Heidrun Brown, today appealed through the media to her daughter to come forward.

"She is a good mother and she teaches her children well,” said Mrs Brown. ”I haven't seen her for nearly five years, but when I saw her the last time she was okay and the children were happy.

“However, it would be better if she came forward - the children I imagine must be very confused. She is welcome to come here with the children - we love them still."

Originally from the UK, John Brown, the girls’ grandfather, moved to Germany in the 1970s.

"My daughter Natalie Bracht has gone missing with our five granddaughters," said Mr Brown. "My wife and I are very worried about Natalie and the girls and if she reads this article I urge her to hand herself into the police.

"Natalie is unwell and urgently needs help. We want to appeal to Natalie to bring our grandchildren home. We want her to know that we love her very much and we will support her through this.

“We would urge Natalie to make contact with us, or the police. If anyone has any information about where she is we urge them to pass this onto the police so that the children can be brought home safely."

Following reports in the media today that Ms Bracht may have left the UK and travelled to Germany or another country, Northumbria Police Detective Chief Inspector Ian Bentham, said he had no evidence of this.

“Since launching our new appeal on Monday, we have received 22 calls with information about Natalie and the girls, only one of which has placed them outside the UK.

“Although I am not ruling anything out, our investigation is still focused on finding Natalie, Indira, Naima, Elinour, Manjuh and Naomi somewhere in the UK, as we have no evidence that they have legally left the country.”

The search for Ms Bracht is being conducted nationwide.

Anyone with information can call Northumbria Police, on 03456 043 043, or contact the Missing People charity, on 0500 700 700 or email seensomeone@missingpeople.org.uk. All calls and emails can be dealt with in the strictest confidence.