Jade Lynch, the teenage girl that went missing on the 26 March from her hometown St Helens on Merseyside, has been found safe and well, police have confirmed.

Detective Superintendent Jon Betts said:

"I'm pleased to announce that Jade was located safe and well in the Wigan area of Greater Manchester at approximately 9.30pm.

"I would like to take this as an opportunity to say a huge thank you to the media and to the public for all of the information and support that you provided, which proved vital in our investigation to locate Jade."

We're so happy the 14-year-old has been found well and safe.

Timeline: Jade Lynch, 14, goes missing from Merseyside

Jade Lynch, who has not been seen since Saturday 26 March, left her home in St Helens on Merseyside with her two younger brothers.

The 14-year-old told her siblings that she was supposed to meet someone in an area of the town.

They parted ways, and the youngster has not been seen since.

Police have said that the schoolgirl does not have access to cash or a mobile phone; in fact, her social media accounts have been silent since she went missing.

Officers also revealed that she may have links to the areas of Merseyside, Manchester, Cumbria, and Bristol - and described her as being “extremely vulnerable”.

Detective Superintendent Jon Betts said: "Jade is a young 14-year-old girl who has now been missing for nine days and we are becoming increasingly concerned about her safety.

"Jade is an extremely vulnerable person and we do not believe that she has access to any cash or mobile phones, which is causing growing concerns.

"I am keen to hear from anyone who believes that they may have seen Jade, or anyone matching her description, over the past nine days.

"I would also like to appeal to Jade directly and ask her to contact us to let us know that you are OK."

He added: “We are currently following a number of lines of enquiry and as part of the investigation.

“We know that Jade has links to the Merseyside and Manchester areas, but speaking to friends and family we also believe that she may also have links as far north as Cumbria and as far south as Bristol, so we are keen to hear from anyone in those areas who thinks they may have information that could assist our enquires.”

Stinson Hunter - better known as the Paedophile Hunter - has asked fans to help find missing child Jade Lynch

Stinson Hunter, better known as the Paedophile Hunter (one of the UK’s most famous vigilante), has also called for the general public to help find Jade.

Taking to Twitter, he wrote: “IMPORTANT: Jade Lynch, 14, has not been seen for over a week.”

Stinson added: “#MissingChild please #RT @AprilsLawUK @missingpeople”

Jade is described as a white girl, 5ft 6in tall, of medium build, and with long straight black hair.

She was last seen wearing an all black outfit of a hoody and trousers, as well as a pair of white trainers.

Anyone with any information should contact Cheshire Police on 101 quoting incident number 257 of 29/3/2016.

Alternatively information can be reported anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.