DETECTIVES searching for Hampshire schoolgirl Rosemary Edwards have urged anyone shielding her to contact police for the sake of her distraught family.

Rosemary disappeared a week ago after she was grounded for lying to her parents about the circumstances in which she lost her part-time job.

She left the family home without taking any food or money, raising the possibility that she may have gone into hiding.

At a press conference on Monday her father, David Edwards, choked back tears as he appealed for help in finding his daughter.

Mr Edwards, 52, of Wellington Close, Dibden Purlieu, could barely speak as he read a family statement which said: "Our hearts are breaking."

Supt Barry Talbot told the Daily Echo: "If anyone has any information about Rosemary's whereabouts and is hesitant to contact us for whatever reason, please consider the effect upon her family of not knowing what has happened to her.

"It was plain to see how distressed they were when they appeared on television, Please call."

Asked about the possibility that someone might be shielding Rosemary, Supt Talbot said: "If they think they are helping her by doing that, they are not."

Following the press conference, police received more than 50 calls from people who said they had seen a girl matching her description.

Most of the sightings were in and around the New Forest area but some of the calls are understood to have originated from elsewhere in the country.

Police say they are encouraged by what they describe as an "overwhelming" response from the public.

A police spokesman said: "Any one call could provide us with the breakthrough we need."

Mr Edwards also welcomed the public's reaction but said the large number of sightings could simply be a reflection of the extensive media coverage the case had received.

About 30 Southampton-based detectives are working 15-hour days in a bid to find Rosemary, who was last seen in her room on September 4 at 10.30pm.

As well as following up all the possible sightings, police are examining a huge amount of CCTV footage recorded in the Dibden Purlieu area.

Detectives are in daily contact with Mr Edwards, his wife Jennifer, 47, and their two other children, Robert, 17 and Lucy, 19.

Mr Edwards said: "The police are working incredibly hard and doing a fantastic job.

"We'll get a call late at night from detectives who are just going off duty. Then we'll get another call an hour or so later - they're still there."

The family has received many messages of love and support from fellow members of the Waterside community.

Mr Edwards added: "People feel helpless and want to support us in any way they can. We've had a lot of cards and a lot of messages have appeared on the Daily Echo website, which is also great."

Rosemary, a prefect at Noadswood School, Dibden Purlieu, is a keen horse rider who exercises other people's ponies.

However, she was grounded by her father and banned from riding for a month after losing her part-time job in a shop and inventing a reason why she left. The following morning she was found to have gone missing.

A police spokesman said: "One concern we have is that Rosemary may be worried about the reaction she might get from her parents and us.

"I'd like to reassure her that she has nothing to fear. She is not in trouble. We just want to hear from her to know she is safe and well."