Polly Dalton was last seen on Saturday afternoon, standing beside a red car in Sainsbury’s car park. The missing girl’s mother, English teacher, Jane Dalton, 25, said she realized her daughter was missing when she reached for her hand in the supermarket and she wasn’t there. ‘I was talking to an old friend and took my eye off Polly for a second. She must have wandered off when I wasn’t looking.’ Polly’s father, veterinarian Peter Dalton, 27, was at home when the incident took place.

Local shop assistant, Rebecca Birch, 16, said she saw a little girl matching Polly’s description: ‘She was standing next to a red car. I think she was talking to someone in the car, but I couldn’t see who it was.’

Police said they were becoming ‘increasingly concerned’ for the missing child’s safety and have deployed a large number of officers to investigate the disappearance. Detective Chief Superintendent Frank Jones said his officers were following a number of lines of enquiry: ‘Salisbury police have launched an intensive search and criminal investigation into the abduction of three-year-old Polly Dalton. Polly was last seen in Sainsbury’s car park at around 2.30 p.m. We are obviously becoming increasingly concerned for her safety and are asking for anyone with information to please contact us.’

Hundreds of residents were said to have joined the hunt for Polly on Saturday with many continuing their efforts overnight. As news of the apparent abduction broke, around 200 people gathered at Salisbury Cathedral to help in the search for the missing girl.

Petrol station owner Tanya Khan said she re-opened her station on Saturday night to help efforts to find the missing child. Khan said: ‘My father called to ask if we would open so people could get petrol to help in the search. Locals are out in full force.’ She said some people had returned home overnight, but were planning to resume at 6.30 a.m. ‘It just shows the community spirit of the town and how people get together in a crisis to do anything they can to help.’

Police released two pictures of Polly and urged anyone with information about the child’s disappearance to come forward. Salisbury residents have also put up posters of Polly around the town appealing for information.

Harry Taylor, who works at the Haunch of Venison on Minster Street, said the pub was empty on Saturday night with many people joining the search. ‘All the locals are looking for her,’ he said, adding that police officers were ‘everywhere’ and they were also searching cars.

The air in my room seemed to close in around me, making it difficult to breathe.