Sea rescue teams have called off their search for a schoolgirl who went missing after getting into difficulty in the sea at a busy resort in Wales.
Holly McClymont, 14, from Glasgow, was visiting Barry Island with her family when she went missing on Sunday afternoon.
Police say friends saw the schoolgirl struggling in the water in an area of Whitmore Bay which can be prone to strong tidal currents.
But a delay of up to an hour before concerns were reported left open the possibility she had reached dry land and then disappeared.
As a result South Wales Police have been carrying out parallel land inquiries as a low water shoreline search continued.
David Jones, the duty watch manager at Swansea Coastguard, said the operation had effectively become a police missing person search.
"Basically, at the moment, the coastguard has completed the low water search so from our point of view we have now suspended searching and formally handed over to South Wales Police," he said.
"We have exhausted efforts searching the sea. There is nothing to suggest that she was in the water and nothing to suggest she was not in the water.
"As far as we are concerned the sea search element of the operation is complete."
He added: "We just hope that if she is found it will be alive and on land. It is now a police missing persons investigation."
It is believed she may have been in trouble up to an hour before the first emergency call was made at about 3.45pm.
Police have appealed for help from anyone who saw Holly The coastguard has expressed disbelief that the alarm was not raised sooner when the girl disappeared.
"We are dumbfounded that something wasn't said to us earlier and are investigating but our main priority is the search," Steve Jones, rescue centre manager for HM Coastguard Swansea, said.
Police say Holly is white, 5ft 7in tall, of average build, with long black hair dyed red.
She was last seen wearing a multi-coloured floral dress, described as short at the front and longer at the back.
Superintendent Marc Lamerton, based at Barry Police Station, has appealed for information from the public.
"Our last sighting of Holly is at around 2.45pm in the sea, in the part of the bay nearest the Island Leisure Amusement arcade, Western Shelter, Barry Island," he said.
"We are keen to hear from anyone who may have seen Holly yesterday.
"Barry Island was extremely busy and we would appeal for anyone with information to contact South Wales Police on 101.
"This is obviously a very worrying time for Holly's family and we are keeping them updated."
Despite the search, hundreds of holidaymakers were not deterred from going back in the sea off the same beach.
Barry resident Sue Voss said locals were aware of the potential dangers of the sea and knew that tides could be treacherous.
"The tides are dangerous here, you can get pulled out to sea. That is why you should always stay between the red and yellow flags," she said.
"If you are from somewhere inland it is easy to think that there is no danger. On a sunny day it all looks so inviting."
She said a friend lost her dog several years ago when it went into the sea at nearby Knap beach and was washed away by currents.
Whitmore Bay is part of an enclosed stretch of coastline although the tidal range - the difference between high and low tide - is one of the highest in the world.
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