A RUNAWAY Romeo and Juliet were back at home safe and well last night after a two-day seaside adventure.

The pair - a 14-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl - who are both from the Bishop Auckland area in County Durham - vanished on Thursday, apparently after the girl was ticked off for playing truant from school.

The boy's desperately worried family searched likely places in Saltburn and Redcar, east Cleveland, after reports that the youngsters had been seen in the area.

Happily on Saturday, hours after both families appealed for them to come home, they turned up on the estate where the boy lives none the worse for their exploits.

They had sold a ring to buy food and pay for train tickets from Saltburn back to Bishop Auckland.

The boy's mother said the pair had become inseparable since they met at a disco a few months ago.

She said: "He's a quiet lad and she is his first girlfriend. We were not concerned about the relationship because she is a canny little lass.

"She's been round our house loads of times and they are always together playing on the computer or listening to music." A Durham police spokesman admitted they had been concerned for the youngsters' welfare.

He said: "It is a bit of a Romeo and Juliet one.

"They are both fit and well and back with their respective families.

"They had been over in the Saltburn area for a couple of days. It would seem that they sold a ring to obtain food and the train fare back to Bishop Auckland.

"They are back home, albeit a bit hungry and scruffy for their experience."

A police welfare officer was with the families yesterday trying to establish a motive for the pair's flight.