Floral tributes paid to Amber Peat close to where a body has been found

Tributes to the missing 13-year-old Amber Peat have been gathering in a place close to where a body was found yesterday.

Friends, classmates and well-wishers have left flowers and messages of condolence at a tree near a 50m stretch of grass currently being guarded by police, less than a mile from Amber's home.

Amber had not been seen since Saturday, when she left the family home in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire after a row.

One message from school classmates said: "I hope your parents find the strength to find peace."

It added: "Hope the angels make you smile."

Rianna Richards, 12, was in tears after she laid flowers in memory of her friend. She had been sent home from school because she was so upset.

"She was a nice person; she was funny," Rianna said.

She said her friend did not seem to have anything on her mind when she last saw her.

The sealed-off patch of land is backed by a path running alongside a hedge. It is in the middle of a quiet housing estate of mainly semi-detached homes.

A police spokesman said last night: "Amber's family has been informed and we ask that the media respect their privacy at this difficult time.

Speaking outside Amber's school, Queen Elizabeth's Academy in Mansfield, principal Mike Smith said: "Our school community is deeply shocked and saddened to hear a body has been found in the search for one of our Year 8 students, Amber Peat.

"Amber has been a student at the school since September. Academically bright, she has been in the academy choir and has loved singing and dancing.

"This is a close-knit, community academy and everybody is supporting each other at this difficult time."