A TEENAGE girl has pleaded with her missing boyfriend to "come home."

Owen Harding, 16, from Saltdean, was last seen leaving his home on March 26 and was last heard from around 6.20pm on the same day.

With Covid-19 restrictions being heavily enforced, his girlfriend Meg Wells Rhodes believes there is a chance that Owen has attempted to walk 280 miles from Saltdean to see her in York.

Meg, 16, issued a video last night urging people to help find Owen.

>> See also: Mum issues appeal to find missing son

She previously said: "Owen and I have known each other since we were 11, and, in the last two years it developed from a friendship to a relationship.

"We’ve maintained it over the distance, but he has taken the travel restrictions imposed by Covid-19 quite hard.

"Living in different cities, it was going to be tough for us to see each other for a while and he wasn’t going to be able to take a train to see me.

The Argus:

"He left home on Thursday night and we think there is a possibility he is trying to walk to York.”

Stella Harding, Owen’s mother, said: “It is very unlike Owen to go missing and to not be in contact with friends, family or his girlfriend.

"Clearly, it is a really difficult time at the moment and we’re all desperately worried, especially since this is so out of character.

"We need to be open to investigating all avenues at this critical time, when the clock is ticking and Owen still hasn’t been found.

"We want to ask anyone who lives in the Yorkshire area to keep an eye out for him and report any information they have to the police.”

Investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Alasdair Henry, of Sussex Police, said: “We have been conducting a number of enquiries into the disappearance of Owen which have included extensive local searches and house to house enquiries.

“We would like to thank the public for their support in our investigation and while we appreciate people would like to help with our searches we are urging everyone to abide by government guidance at all times.

The Argus:

"We are utilising all our available resources to search locally and are working with the Metropolitan Police, who are assisting us in Bromley.”

Owen is 6ft tall with short dark brown hair.

He normally wears white trainers, tracksuit trousers and a dark hoodie.

If you have information about Owen’s whereabouts, report it to Sussex Police immediately either online or call 101, quoting Operation Chartwell. If you see Owen dial 999.