A ST ANNES motorist who mysteriously disappeared from a motorway hard shoulder on Tuesday night has turned up safe and well.

Andrea Christodoulou, 27, was back at home on Wednesday evening after sparking a massive police search when she apparently vanished from her broken down car on the M61.

Miss Christodoulou phoned for help from a hard shoulder phone box near Bolton West Services at about 10.30pm on Tuesday night. She was thought to have been with a male relative, and did not request urgent assistance.

But by the time police and a recovery patrol arrived 45 minutes later she had disappeared, leaving her C-registered VW Golf abandoned on the hard shoulder.

Extensive media appeals for help followed, and an inquiry room was set up by Chorley Police. Officers also began a search of the area.

Miss Christodoulou was understood not to have made contact with her family at the time, adding to concerns for her safety.

She had last been seen by her father at midday on Tuesday, when she told him she was going to visit a friend in Blackpool.

Lancashire Police are expected to release a statement about the matter later today (Thursday).