THE father of a little girl whose disappearance sparked a huge search in York earlier this week has thanked everyone who helped to find her.

Dozens of police officers, PCSOs, police staff and local residents joined in the search on Wednesday afternoon, after the six-year-old went missing near St Benedict's Road, off Nunnery Lane.

She was found safe and well a little over an hour after going missing.

Many locals rushed to help, and thousands of people shared the appeal on social media, after it was posted online by The Press and other media.

Her dad told The Press on Thursday night: “Having your child go missing is the worst feeling for a parent. It was absolutely terrifying.

“The police were absolutely fantastic. Some people thought they went over the top but they did everything they had to do. 

“They were here within five minutes, they were comforting to us and they went out making door to door inquiries, while others went off on their bikes to check in local parks and so on. There must have been at least 20 of them. 

“The first hour is crucial – if she had been abducted she could have been in Hull within an hour.

“The local community was great as well. People were late going in to work because they wanted to help look after her. It’s like that around here – it’s a close-knit community.”

He also thanked The Press and people on social media for helping to publicise the search online so quickly.

York Press:

The father, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: "She was playing in the back garden and then my partner noticed she wasn’t there,” he said.

“She checked all the houses where she knew she had friends and she wasn’t there, and so she called me back from work and rang the police.

“When I got back from work and saw all the police it really brought it home. Having your child go missing is the worst feeling for a parent. It was absolutely terrifying. 

“It turned out she had wandered off to the house of a new friend who had only recently moved to the area, so we didn’t know to check there.

“She came out and someone spotted her and told the police, who took her and gave her back to us. It was a huge relief but she was quite upset because she thought we’d be angry with her.

“We sat her down with a policeman and told her how important it was that she doesn’t wander off and always tells us where she is going.”

York Press:

Police are pictured at the height of the search

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman: "Reports of missing children, particularly a young child in this instance which naturally increases their vulnerability, are taken extremely seriously by the police. 

"Every effort is made to support worried family members while quickly gathering information to aid a co-ordinated search to ensure the child is found safe and well. 

"On this occasion, the police response included around 30 officers, PCSOs and police staff from various teams. We also used Facebook and Twitter to focus the appeal for possible sightings of the girl, which also led to support from the media. 

"A police helicopter and the York Rescue Boat were put on stand-by in case they were needed. 

"Thankfully, the girl was located nearby and confirmed to be safe just over an hour after being reported missing. There were no suspicious circumstances, just a mix-up while visiting a new friend's home. 

"From a police perspective, and no doubt from worried-sick parents' perspective too, it is always best to put a lot of resources into quickly resolving this type of missing person case rather than putting a child's safety at risk."