Police are making a direct appeal to missing Lewis Penfold-Roche as concerns for his welfare grow.

Lewis, 18, has been missing since Sunday, January 28. He was last seen in the Station Road area of Billingham, heading towards Central Avenue, around 6 pm.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector Chris Pringle, said: “I would like to appeal directly to Lewis to ask him to make contact with someone and let them know he is safe; whether that is by contacting police, a friend or family. You are not in any trouble - we just want to know that you are safe and well.”

Officers continue to piece together Lewis’ movements including speaking with his associates, scouring hours of CCTV footage and issuing public appeals for information.

DI Pringle continued: “We would continue to urge the public to let us know if they have any information as to Lewis’ whereabouts or if anyone thinks they may have seen him since he went missing, please let us know as soon as possible. We just want to ensure that Lewis is safe and well.”

When he was last seen, Lewis was wearing a red coat and carrying a white and green backpack. He may be wearing a black jumper with the Jack Skellington character on the front, or a black Adidas jumper with white stripes down the sleeves.

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Lewis speaks with a London accent and officers would appeal to anyone who may have seen Lewis, or anyone who knows his whereabouts, to contact Cleveland Police as a matter of urgency on 101, quoting reference number 017293.

You can also tell us information online here: Public Portal (mipp.police.uk)

Any CCTV, dash cam or ring doorbell footage of Lewis can be uploaded here: https://unitedkingdom1cpp-portal.digital-policing.co.uk/cleveland/appeal/missing-person-lewis-penfold?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=Orlo