Couple run away after they are told to stay apart; Parents' worry for teenagers.

Byline: David Old

A13-year-old girl has run away with her older boyfriend after they were banned from seeing each other.

Abigail Hancock, 13, ran off from her home in Langley Park, Durham, after an argument with her mother shortly after 4pm on Saturday.

The teenager is said to have taken her mother's cash card and made straight for the train station where it is thought she had already planned to meet boyfriend Sean Martin Turner, 17. The pair are understood to have boarded a train bound for Manchester. The pair had been in a relationship for up to a year. Abigail has recently turned 13.

It is understood that Abigail had been banned from seeing Sean because of the age gap. The pair had attempted to run away about six months ago but had been found in Durham.

Inspector Eddie Bell, from Durham police, said: "They have no connections with any of the areas on the train line. The only connection with the city is that she was wearing a Manchester United shirt.

"We know they got on the train but have no idea where they got off. We are contacting all the stations along the train line to urge them to check their CCTV.

"We need to know where they got off the train.

"As soon as we have got that we can start making some proper enquiries. At the moment we have a 170-mile track and they could have got off anywhere along there. Their parents are very concerned." Police believe the pair had planned to run away. Both teenagers live in the Langley Park area of County Durham.

Abigail is white, of slim build, 5ft 2ins tall, with long brown hair.

Sean is described as white, 5ft 8ins tall, of medium build, with short mousey brown hair.

He was wearing a blue baseball cap, dark jacket, dark Adidas tracksuit bottoms and was carrying a dark rucksack.

Anyone with any information should call police on 0345 60 60 365, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.