The team behind a major search operation for a missing dog in Harrogate have said they will not stop looking for the beloved pet.

Emily Watson’s white bichon frise, Molly, was spooked by another dog and ran away in Nidd Gorge on June 23.

Her last sighting was near the viaduct on the Bilton/Ripley cycle path.

Ms Watson has faced online abuse due to the length of the search, with people saying she should not continue.

However, she has vowed that she will “never give up” and has thanked the community for their continued support.

The search also faced a setback this week when a camera set up to attempt to track Molly was vandalised.

Jen Bell, who has been part of the team helping Ms Watson, told the Stray Ferret:

“We are working behind the scenes with professionals whose time, expertise and equipment are provided on a voluntary basis.

“One of the cameras on loan to us was vandalised recently and the SD card was thrown or dropped further along the road.

“A member of the public found the SD card but we found that the perpetrator(s) had tampered with it, meaning that we have lost 24 hours of footage.

“Consequently, this has hindered our search for Molly. We are however a strong team supporting Emily, and we endeavour to continue our work with the professionals in finding Molly.”

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Ms Watson has put out regular appeals on Facebook to help find the missing dog and a group called Missing Molly has also been set up.

Posters, banners and flyers have also been displayed and given out in the area.

In an outpouring of support, the community has been out in force searching for Molly, who was wearing a purple harness when she went missing.

Volunteers have also come forward with thermal drones, a dog tracking team and thermal cameras.

Many have continued the search into nightfall.

Residents have also checked their smart doorbells and CCTV cameras for sightings.

Ms Watson is now asking residents in the surrounding villages of Harrogate to keep their eyes peeled.

She said:

“I will carry on for as long as is needed in the search for Molly.”