The heart-broken parents of teenage sweethearts who ran away on a trip to the cinema today pleaded: "Please come home".

Mark Allwood, 16, and Kimberley Whitaker, 15, have not been seen since they left Mark's parents' home in Eldwick for the trip to the pictures on Friday.

The couple, who have been dating for three months, failed to return home.

The only communication has been a text message from Kimberley to her dad and two letters, postmarked Leeds, received by both families yesterday, saying the pair were safe and were sorry for running away.

Today Kimberley's distraught dad Neil, of Springfield Gardens, Highfield, near Keighley, said he had no idea why the pair had gone and feared they could be anywhere with no money and no means of support.

"I just want her to come home," said the father-of-three. "I won't tell her off. I'm worried about her and love her to bits. She's the life and soul of this family.

"We don't really know Mark too well but we just want them to come home and then we can sort it out."

Mr Whitaker, 40, said he was expecting Kimberley to meet him, her mum Fiona, 37, and sisters Christina, 18, and Samantha, 11, at Five Rise Locks in Bingley to go on a boating weekend when he received the text message from his daughter.

"The text said: 'Dad, this is Kim. Sorry I won't be there this weekend but I've gone away'," said Mr Whitaker.

"We are really concerned because Kimberley isn't the type of girl to do this kind of thing and it is unbelievable."

Mr Whitaker said despite his daughter being a bright pupil at Bingley Grammar School she had played truant on several occasions but doubted that was why she had disappeared.

"It's hard to believe what is happening," he said. "When you watch the television and see other parents going through the same thing you think how awful it must be and now we're in the same position.

"When I wake up in the morning she's not there and I expect her to be there. It's just agony.

"Her sisters are devastated because they can't believe the pair have done this."

He said he had agreed to the pair dating but had put restrictions on when his daughter had to be home every evening.

He added he was concerned that they might have caught a train or hitched a lift since sending the letters from Leeds.

Mark's mum Deborah, of Pengarth, Eldwick, said her son was unemployed but had been working until recently as a motor mechanic apprentice.

The mother-of-two, who is married to husband Paul, said: "All we want is for them to come home safe and sound and as soon as possible."

Kimberley is 5ft 2ins, slim, with a fair complexion, long brown hair and blue eyes.

She was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, black trousers and a blue denim jacket with a fur lining.

Mark is 5ft 10ins, slim, with a fair complexion and short brown hair and has an earring in his left ear.

He was wearing a white T-shirt, dark blue jeans and white Nike trainers and a black jacket.

A police spokesman said the pair had little money and no possessions with them when they left.

He added police officers were investigating the disappearance.

Anyone with any information should telephone Keighley Police on (01535) 617059