Neighbours shocked as police search house for clues on teen last seen in 1999

Residents have told of their shock as police began scouring a Black Country house for clues in the 23-year-old case of a missing boy.

The police tents are present at the back of the address on St Paul's Road in Smethwick

West Midlands Police teams have been seen going in and out of the house on St Paul's Road, Smethwick, with numerous police tents seen set up in the garden.

Sandwell Police said that the force was searching the house as Phillip Harris, who went missing in July 1999, had links to the address.

The 15-year-old had left his home on St Eleanor's Close in West Bromwich on the morning of July 28, 1999 to visit a friend in Northfield and phoned his foster parents later in the day to let them know he was staying with a friend.

Phillip hasn't been seen since that date and media appeals in both Birmingham and Manchester had yielded no sighting of him, but detectives reviewing the case are now searching the address on St Paul's Road.

There has been a continual police presence over two weeks

Kara Brookes, who lives a few doors down from the house being searched, said: "We've had the police here, with the tents set up in the back garden, and there had been a lot of speculation around here that it was a baby.

"I was on my way home from work when I got a call from my friend, who then told me about the a post on the internet and while I wasn't aware of who Phillip Harris was, I was shocked to find out what it was all about."

Ms Brookes said the tents had been lit up during the night and said she had seen a lot of police officers in and around the area, as well as forensic vans, and said she'd never seen anything like it in all the time she'd lived there.

The house has been full of police for two weeks as investigations continue

She said: "There's been quite a few families who have lived in that house over the nine years I've lived here and I never believed anything like this could happen.

"I dread to think what will happen if they actually found him there, but I know it would be a huge shock as we've never had anything like that before."

Another resident, who didn't want to be named, said he had seen the police going in and out of the house, but was shocked to find out the reason for it.

He said: "I've lived here for years and never seen any trouble around here, so it's disturbing to find out that something horrible might have happened on this street.

"The police haven't told us much, so the news of what they're looking for was a real surprise for me.

"I just hope they don't find anything like that as I can't imagine a body being buried around here."