POLICE are growing increasingly concerned for the welfare of a teenager who went missing from her home on Tuesday last week.

Kirsty Richardson, 14, who is originally from the Radford area of Nottingham, recently moved to Kimblesworth, near Chester-le-Street to stay with her mother.

It is thought Kirsty has been unhappy living in the North, and she left her mother's house in Cedar Avenue, at 11am, on May 29, saying she was going to the shops.

She failed to return and has not been seen since. Police believe there is a strong chance she may have headed back to her home town.

Acting Inspector Ian Butler said, although Kirsty could be described as "streetwise", her family and the police were naturally concerned at the length of time she had been gone.

He said: "We would urge anyone who may know where she is to get in touch with the police in Nottingham, or ourselves."

She has dark brown hair, blue-green eyes, and is about 5ft, and of average build. When she left her mother's house she was wearing a black PVC jacket, black trousers and a red top.