FEARS for the safety of a teenager with learning difficulties were growing last night - three days after she went missing from home.

Police are appealing to the public for information about any sightings of 19-year-old Claire Louise Smith, who is thought to have disappeared with a man she met through the Internet.

Claire, of Peterlee, in east Durham, is known to have received an e-mail from a man in his early twenties recently.

The pair met up for the first time last Friday and went out together, but Claire's family told police they were unaware she would not be returning home.

Officers have searched the man's flat in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, over the weekend, but there was no trace of either him or Claire, who attends a special needs school in Sunderland.

Claire is described as thin, with a pale complexion, brown eyes, and short, dark curly hair. When she was last seen, she was wearing a grey Tommy Hilfiger top and black shoes.

She has a tattoo saying "dad" on her left arm and "mum", with an image of a rose, on her right.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on (01423) 505541