Digging continues in search for teenager who disappeared in the Black Country 23 years ago

Officers and forensic experts from West Midlands Police investigating the disappearance of Phillip Harris have been searching at a property on St Paul's Road for more than two weeks.

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 yielded no sighting of him, but detectives reviewing the case are now searching the address on St Paul's Road.

The constant presence of police on the road and tents set up in the back garden of the house is still causing a surprise to nearby residents.

Marc Harte, who lives across the road from the house being searched, said he was not expecting so much police activity in the area.

He said: "We found out about what was going on on Facebook on Friday like a lot of people did, although my brother can see the tents in the back garden from his back window and they've obviously digging for something.

"However, it's a big thing to see the police still here after all that time and although it doesn't affect me too much, I can imagine much it's affecting those people living on that side of the road and dealing with it day by day.

"I would be really shocked if they found something or someone there as it's very rare that anything like this happens around here, it's certainly the first time I've seen this happening around here."

Other people living, working and walking on St Paul's Road said they agreed with Mr Harte about the area being a quiet community, with very little police activity.

Lakhbir Gill, who is the licensee of the Ivy Busy pub, said he had lived in the area since 1973 and had never seen so many police on the street near any of the houses.

He said: "I'm quite surprised for this area and the people who live there now would have nothing to do with it as so many different people have rented that property over the years.

"I've lived here 38 years and owned this pub for 28 years and these are the most police vehicles I've seen on this road as, usually, they're zipping up and down towards the town or out the other way.

"It's not good for the area because it creates a bad image, particularly with the Commonwealth Games Aquatics venue just up the road, so I hope they don't find anything in the garden there."

A spokesman for West Midlands Police said no leads had been found, saying: "We are continuing to check the grounds of the house and enquiries continue."