Shy schoolgirl runs off to Egypt to rekindle her holiday romance

Student Amy Robson, 17, was last seen six days ago and is thought to have fled to be with a boat hand she met on a pleasure trip during a family holiday last year.

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Amy was left alone at home in Cumbria last week while her parents went on a short Easter break so she could revise for her forthcoming school exams.

They had any idea the 'very shy' sixth-former was conducting a long-distance relationship with a young man who worked in the Red Sea resort of Hurghada.

Detectives have now discovered she bought a plane ticket on the internet and left home in the village of Beaumont, near Carlisle, on Good Friday to fly out.

Her parents are desperately worried for her safety and an international police operation has been launched to track her down.

The alarm was raised when a relative visited the family's farmhouse on Friday to check on her and discovered she had gone.

Amy has been classified as a "missing person" and Interpol has been alerted to find her.

Meanwhile, her worried parents James and Janet Robson can only wait at home for news of their daughter's whereabouts.

To add to their anguish even if police find her there may be nothing they can do to bring her home because she is 17 years old.

Police say as long as she is safe and well and has left home of her own accord, no crime has been committed.

Cumbria Police believe she took a train from Carlisle to London, travelled on to Gatwick Airport and caught a flight to Hurghada via Riga, Amy spoke to a villager as she boarded a bus on Friday morning and she "seemed in good spirits."

She was also spotted in Carlisle town centre laughing and chatting on her mobile phone. The witness recalled seeing her as the normally shy teenager appeared unusually animated and happy.

Yesterday Detective Inspector Mark Backhouse said Amy was "vulnerable" and there were fears for her safety.

"There are people who will take advantage of someone her age. Her parents are obviously upset and just want her back home.

"Every parent will know that this is a terrible situation. This is totally out of character for Amy and we hope that she gets in touch with her family as soon as possible."

They have released a photograph of Amy and appealed for anyone with information to come forward but detectives believe she told no one of her secret holiday romance trip or her plans.

Earlier another detective working on the case, Inspector Adrian Sowerby, said police wanted to make contact but would not be able to make her return.

He said: "She is 17 and, in some respects, she is lawfully entitled to do what she wants.

"It would be quite difficult for us to force her to come back and, from our point of view, as long as there are no worried about her being coerced into going out there or about her mental health, we simply want to make sure she is ok."

Police claim not to know the identity of Amy's mystery friend.

It is believed Amy struck up a friendship with a man working on tourist "safari boats", running tourist trips on the Red Sea out of Hurghada.

The former fishing village is now a major tourist resort, based around aquatic sports and boat trips.

It is also known for its lively nightlife, with numerous bars, restaurants, hotels and clubs.

Yesterday Mr Robson was clearly upset and refused to comment at his £250,000 home in the pretty Cumbrian village.

The family moved to Beaumont eight years ago. Amy went to the local secondary school, but switched to Nelson Thomlinson Grammar School in Wigton after suffering from bullying problems, neighbours said.

She has a younger brother Matthew, 11, and sister Lauren, nine, who were away with grandparents at the time.

Neighbours have been stunned at the disappearance of the "shy" pupil, who was not known as a headstrong teenager.

One said: "Amy was a very, very shy girl. She was quiet and timid and hardly ever said anything.

"But it sounds like she planned the whole thing. Her Mum and Dad had gone away for the bank holiday weekend and left the younger kids with the grandparents

"She was all alone in the house so it was perfect for her to get away. Her grandfather tried calling her and came to the house because he was worried because there was no answer but she was well gone by the time her got here.

"Her mum will be cut up about it, the two of them were very close. This is the last thing I would have thought Amy would do. It's totally out of character for her.

"I just hope she gets in touch with the family to let them know she's OK. It must be heartbreaking for them."

Another neighbour said: "Amy was lovely but she is really shy. She would often hang around with younger kids. I really feel for her mum, Janet, she must be going through hell."

Neither parent is thought to work at present. Mr Robson used to work in a bottle processing plant before training to be electrician.