Appeal for celebrities to help in search to find missing Burnley teacher Lindsay Birbeck

And volunteers involved in trying to find Lindsay Birbeck, who lives in Accrington, have reached out to celebrities for help.

Coronation Street star Brooke Vincent, who plays Sophie Webster in the top soap, has posted an appeal on twitter about the search and Great British Bake Off winner John Waite has featured the search on his Instagram account.

Lindsay (47), a teacher at a Burnley primary school and mum of two, has been missing since last Monday (August 12th) and extensive searches have been going on in an area known as The Coppice and further beyond in Huncoat Quarry and elsewhere.

CCTV footage shows Lindsay at 4:06pm on the day she disappeared on Burnley Road walking in the general direction of Accrington.

An earlier suggestion that a witness had seen Lindsay in Peel Park Avenue later that afternoon have now been ruled out entirely following further investigation. Police have said this information was a genuine mistake by a witness trying their very best to help.

A number of specialist resources including dogs, mounted police, mountain and underwater rescue search teams, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service and drones are continuing to look for Lindsay. Officers have also been handing out leaflets and speaking to members of the public in the area.

They are still keen to speak to any dog walkers in the area who have not yet spoken to the police or anyone who was in the Burnley Rd area around 4pm on the 12th and may have dashcam footage.

A public meeting held at Accrington Town Hall on Wednesday evening was attended by around 100 people and and both friends of Lindsay's and those involved in the search to find her were given the chance to ask questions.

Lindsay's father, Russell Martin, also spoke at the meeting, thanking people for their help and support.

Detective Inspector Tim McDermott, of Blackburn Police, said: “Lindsay has now been missing for 11 days and as time goes on without any contact our concern for her grows, as of course does her family’s.

“While we have now ruled out the sighting on Peel Park Avenue we do still believe that Lindsay’s most likely route after she was spotted on CCTV is towards The Coppice and that area remains the focus of our search.

“I would like once again to thank the community for their support but still urge them to take care if they decide to go out and search. Some of the areas are treacherous and while our search teams are equipped and trained to explore such areas we would urge members of the public to stick to public footpaths and main roads only. We understand you want to help, but your safety has to be our priority.

“I’d also remind the public that if you come across something you think may be significant to the investigation, please don’t touch it but report it to us or flag down a nearby officer.

“Lindsay was last seen wearing a purple Rab bubble jacket, black leggings, a white shirt with blue pin stripes and black trainers with a white sole. Her Huawei mobile phone is also missing.

“This remains a missing person inquiry and there is still no evidence that Lindsay has been the victim of crime.

"I would reassure the community that we will continue to approach the investigation thoroughly and with an open mind. There also remains a very significant and dedicated investigation team working with the search teams to find Lindsay.”

Lindsay has links to Accrington and Burnley, as well as Kendal in Cumbria.

Anyone with information can contact police on 101 quoting log 0016 of August 13.

For immediate sightings please call 999