Hand in hand... the runaway girl and teacher heading for France

RUNAWAY schoolgirl Megan Stammers and her maths teacher were captured hand-in-hand on CCTV as they travelled to France last week, in images released by police last night.

The pair travelled on the Dover to Calais route at 9.30pm last Thursday, when Megan’s family believed she was staying over at a friend’s house.

The disappearance of the 15-year-old and married 30-year-old Jeremy Forrest has sparked a pan-European search, prompting frantic appeals by her family in Eastbourne, East Sussex, to make contact.

Police last night said although they entered France, it was possible they were now elsewhere. They renewed their plea to the public to come forward with sightings.

Chief Inspector Jason Tingley, of Sussex Police, said: “We are releasing this photo to show Megan and Jeremy’s appearance at the time they travelled to France as we believe it will improve the public’s ability to recognise the pair together.

“Although they entered France, it is possible that they are elsewhere now.

“Therefore our objectives are to identify where they are and for them to contact us, so we can bring Megan home safely.”

Police are working with Interpol, a liaison officer in France and the French Missing Persons Bureau, plus other law enforcement agencies in Europe.

Megan left her home in Walton Close, Eastbourne, last Thursday afternoon after telling her mother she was going to stay at a friend’s house.

Later that day, CCTV caught Forrest’s black Ford Fiesta heading to the port of Dover in Kent with Megan in the passenger seat.

They headed across the English Channel on a ferry bound for  Calais some time after 9.30pm, according to police.

Megan and Forrest, an amateur musician who lives in Ringmer, near Lewes, were due to return on Sunday evening but they did not board the ferry.

The last contact was on Friday when a message was sent to one of her friends, saying that she was in France.

However, the message did not come from her phone.

Questions are being asked of education officials about how they dealt with warnings of a relationship between them.

East Sussex County Council confirmed yesterday that it and school officials were “addressing and investigating concerns” that were raised about the closeness of Megan and Forrest.

Megan’s family have said she had been receiving extra-curricular maths lessons since before the summer, but they did not suspect any relationship between her and Forrest.

But according to reports, concerns were expressed to another teacher about contact between Megan and Forrest following a school trip to Los Angeles in February.

A friend of Megan’s said another classmate raised the issue after seeing them holding hands together on the return flight, and they would often hug each other, the Daily Mail reported.

An East Sussex County Council spokesman said: “Because the investigations are ongoing we are not going to comment in detail.

“However, the school and the county council had been addressing and investigating concerns that had been raised, in line with procedure, when this happened.

“That investigation will continue and we will decide what action to take.”