Isle of Wight teams searching for missing Gaia Pope

ISLE of Wight Search and Rescue are assisting Dorset teams in their search for Gaia Pope.

The teenager was last seen over a week ago in Swanage, on Tuesday November 7.

Clothing has been found on land near the Dorset coastal path and a 49-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

Since Gaia's disappearance, extensive searches have been carried out in and around Dorset, involving police, coastguard teams and local volunteers.

WightSAR made the journey across on Wightlink to assist in the search.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police at www.dorset.police.uk, via email 101@dorset.pnn.police.uk or by calling 101, quoting incident number 9:179.

* Police have released the man arrested on suspicion of murder and also confirmed that clothing found in fields close to the Dorset coast almost certainly belonged to Gaia.

Det Supt Paul Kessell of Dorset police's major crimes investigation team said: "The clothing located appears to be Gaia's and her family have confirmed they match what she was believed to have been wearing the day she went missing."

"Specialist officers and teams, supported by Dorset and Wiltshire fire and rescue, the coastguard, national search advisers and the national police air service helicopter, have been conducting detailed searches and forensic examinations of fields and open areas. Wide area searches have also been carried out with the assistance of Dorset search and rescue and volunteers in the community," he said.

** Police have confirmed that the body of Gaia Pope has been found close to cliffs near Swanage, Dorset.