The villagers of East Tilbury have united behind police as the desperate search for abducted schoolgirl Danielle Jones enters its sixth week.

The community has rallied to help officers by manning a special mobile police station which has been set up yards from where the teenager disappeared.

They hope the station - which opened its doors yesterday (Monday) - will become a focal point for information about the missing schoolgirl whom police remain convinced was abducted.

It follows a meeting of more than 400 villagers at the weekend where the police investigation team faced criticisms of keeping the public in the dark.

An officer and members of the public will man the station in Princess Margaret Road every day, in the hope someone will call in with fresh information.

Insp Alan Cook, of the investigation team, said the move was not just a reaction to Sunday's meeting.

He said: "We are concerned that it's now five weeks since Danielle disappeared and we just want to make it as easy as possible for people to contact us, so we're coming up with new ways all the time.

"We've had lots of calls and lots of information, but we are still missing that vital nugget."

Insp Cook also answered claims police had been holding back information, saying: "The sad reality is there hasn't been a lot to give out."

For more information on the hunt for Danielle, visit the Essex Police website at www.essex.police.uk

Missing teenager Danielle Jones of Tilbury

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