THE parents of missing Hampshire teenager Dan Nolan have been given new hope after a travel pass in his name was found on a London bus.

A female passenger recognised the name of the 15-year-old who went missing from Hamble on New Year's Day following a night fishing excursion with pals.

Officers from the Metropolitan police launched an immediate inquiry into the discovery - but failed to turn up any new leads.

However, mum Pauline Nolan and dad Greg have been lifted by the find.

Pauline said: "The Met have done their inquiries but they have found nothing that can move the search on. If it was his, he has long disappeared.

"We just don't know if it's his or a co-incidence. The name Dan Nolan is a very common Irish name so we can't jump to conclusions.

"The good thing is that this woman was aware that Dan was missing. This shows that our poster and awareness campaign is working.

"To find people you have to tell people that they are missing. We need as many eyes as possible and one day something will crop up that we can use."

Mrs Nolan added that she was certain Dan had not fallen in the River Hamble following the discovery of Robert Saint's body, which washed up on the Isle of Wight recently.

She said: "Mr Saint was found after two weeks. These are coastal waters in the River Hamble and it is also a sheltered waterway.

"It goes into Southampton Water and then the Solent and is protected by the Isle of Wight.

"If Dan went into the river he has got a hell of a lot of travelling to get out into open ocean."