A MASSIVE hunt was under way today for two missing 10-year-old girls.

They failed to arrive at school in Hastings yesterday and the alarm was raised when relatives went to pick up one of them in the afternoon.

As prayers were being said at the school today for the girls' safe return, police with dogs combed the route the two girls took and Surrey police were making inquiries in Ruislip, where the mother of one of the girls died a year ago.

Police said Charlene Lunnon and friend Lisa Hoodless may have tried to travel to Ruislip to mark the day of Charlene's mother's funeral.

They were last seen at 8.30am, when they set off on the 10-minute walk from their homes in the Bohemia district of Hastings to Christ Church School, in Woodland Vale Road.

They were not reported missing until Charlene did not come out of school when relatives went to meet her. Neither girl has gone missing before.

orried

Lisa's father Andrew said today he was "mentally exhausted" by worry about her.

The father of four, who lives with his wife Julie in Decham Road, St Leonards, said: "She is a very bright, intelligent girl, very outgoing.

"She left home at about 7.35am to call on her friend, only two minutes up the road. We know she reached her friend's house and they went off to school together but they have not been seen since.

"We have been awake all night. We are absolutely physically and mentally exhausted."

Head teacher Anne Hanney said: "We are very worried and doing all we can to help. We are praying for them this morning."

Officers conducted door-to-door inquiries, talked to friends of the two girls, and contacted bus and taxi companies.

Lisa, of DeCham Road, has short blond hair and was wearing the Christ Church School uniform of blue jumper and grey skirt. She also had an orange jacket bearing the words Spice Fever. She carried a pink Spice Girls bag.

Charlene, of Cherry Tree Close, has brown shoulder-length hair, and was also wearing a blue school jumper, with blue trousers, and a black jacket with a fur collar.

Anyone with information should contact Hastings police on 01424 425000 ext 60249.

Insp Ivor John, in charge of the hunt, said: "There have been no sightings of the girls since they left Charlene's house together for the school, which is pretty near by.

"We made extensive inquiries with the school and in the area and so far we have got no information on sightings of the girls."

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