DOZENS of people have joined police to search for a missing schoolgirl who disappeared almost a week ago.
Lyla-Jane Lake, 13, vanished from Basingstoke, Hampshire, last Wednesday and did not contact any of her family over Christmas.
The teen, whose cousin is Team GB Olympian Morgan Lake, has never gone missing before.
On Tuesday, more than 100 people gave up their Bank Holiday day off to help cops hunt for Lyla-Jane.
Local residents in the town gathered to deliver leaflets to homes and to ask homeowners with CCTV and doorbell videos to check footage before it automatically deletes after seven days.
Lyla-Jane’s worried relatives say they are extremely concerned about her safety because she did not contact any members of her huge extended family over Christmas.
Her father, Nathan Lake, thanked the public for their help in searching and knocking on doors.
He said: “We are desperate to find her. This is an urgent plea as it has been several days since she was last seen.
“She has not done this before and it is completely out of character, which rang the alarm bells on first day itself. She has not left the house even for one night before.
“We are here to help police. They have more facilities than we have but feet on the ground can be a big push in the mission to find her.
“All the people are here to help. They just want to get Lyla back home safe.”
Lyla-Jane was last seen at around 9pm last Wednesday near the Riverdene public house in Basingstoke.
She was last seen wearing a black Puffa jacket and grey jogging bottoms and was carrying a Sports Direct bag for life.
Lyla-Jane has been described by police as of mixed race, 5ft 6ins tall and of medium build with long brown hair and brown eyes.
Jeremy Bailey, who is helping organise the search for Lyla-Jane urged the volunteers to knock on doors that had cameras and leave the leaflets with the residents.
He said: “We will go through different areas and we won’t leave any stones unturned. We are looking for houses that have Ring doorbells and ask them if it is possible to look at their CCTV, while respecting their privacy.
“These recordings are mostly saved for only seven days. So we want to look at them before they expire.”
Heptathlon star Morgan has urged people to contact her with any information.
Morgan, who studied at Wellington College in Crowthorne, Berkshire, said: “My 13-year-old cousin Lyla-Jane Lake has been missing for some nights now.
“Last seen in Basingstoke at around 9pm on Wednesday night. Police are involved but if anyone has any information please contact me.”
Major searches in her hometown of Basingstoke have failed to find any trace of Lyla-Jane and police said on Tuesday that they were “extremely concerned” for her welfare.
A spokesman for Hampshire Constabulary said: “Lyla was last seen on Wednesday evening in Simmons Walk, Basingstoke at around 10pm.
“Since she was reported missing, officers have been conducting several inquiries to find her. Both we and her family are extremely concerned for her welfare and we are now turning to the public for your help.
“If you see her please call 999 immediately.”
