Police investigating the possible abduction of a young girl in Manchester have searched several hundred cars leaving a fireworks display event – but did not find anything suspicious.
Detectives were called to reports that a girl had been abducted from the city’s Heaton Park at about 9.15pm on Sunday.
Officers from Greater Manchester Police spent several hours searching vehicles as they left the venue at Margarets Road.
A spokesman for the force said the searches did not turn up anything suspicious, and also confirmed they had not yet received any reports from family members of a missing child, but said police were continuing to keep an open mind.
Superintendent Arif Nawaz, of Greater Manchester Police, said: “I want people to know we are taking this report extremely seriously and are following all possible lines of inquiry.
“We need to be really clear about what has happened this evening so I’d ask that people refrain from speculating around the circumstances on social media as we follow our processes.”
People on social media reported long delays as they tried to leave the event, due to the searches being carried out.
Chloe Keenan, 18, from Leigh, Wigan, told the Daily Express it had taken her two hours to leave the park.
She told the paper: “We were one of the first ones back to the car and we didn’t move for an hour. Police were walking down the road.”
She added: “Police told us that the information was scattered, but that a little girl might have been bundled into a car and they had to search our cars. We were told it could take up to five hours.”
Greater Manchester Police’s city centre team tweeted: “Delay getting off Heaton Park car parks. Bear with us while we sort an incident at Margarets Rd entrance.”
Anyone with information should contact police on 101, quoting reference number 2512 of November 5, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.