Police looking for a missing 12-year-old boy have widened their search as they believe he could now be in the Manchester area.

Alfie Benson from Clitheroe was last seen in Blackpool on Wednesday December 19.

Police in Lancashire have been searching for him for the last five days and have now handed the case to Greater Manchester Police.

A spokesperson for the police said: "On the day of his disappearance, Alfie was wearing a blue parka coat. He is white, 5ft, of slim build and has short light brown hair.

"He has links to Blackpool and Manchester."

A tweet put out by Lancashire Police this morning stated that Alfie's disappearance is now being dealt with by GMP.

However, if anyone does have any information on Alfie's whereabouts they should contact police on 101 and quote 1022 of December 19.