Police sorry for delay in murdered teen search

A police force has apologised after it was revealed a search for a murdered teenager was delayed by four hours because there were no available officers.

Student Ellen Higginbottom, 18, was reported missing at about 7pm on 16 June last year and her body was found at Orrell Water Park in Wigan in the early hours of the following morning.

Mark Buckley, 52, was jailed for a minimum of 31 years for the attack.

An investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct found a lack of resources at Greater Manchester Police (GMP) led to the search being delayed 13 times after she was reported missing by her father.

Responding to the report, GMP Assistant Chief Constable Chris Sykes said the force had lost 2,000 officers due to funding cuts, while work had become more demanding.