Two British girls have been found "abandoned in a car" near the search site for missing teenager Jay Slater in Tenerife.

The two nationals, one a baby, were discovered in a car on the Spanish island with local police in Arona confirming the children were found when a resident noticed the white Volkswagen Polo rental car parked in direct sunlight. The find was made close to the site where authorities are searching for missing teenager Jay.

An unnamed 34-year-old resident found the pair inside the vehicle, with the older girl, seven, explaining their father had left them there while he went for a haircut in a nearby shopping centre. They had hesitated to leave despite being able to open the door to the vehicle, CanarianWeekly reported.
The two children were later retrieved by police

Emergency services were alerted by the concerned woman. Police officers, having located documents related to the father in the car after the girls allowed them access, have since attempted to locate the father in the shopping centre.

A 38-year-old man was later questioned and initially denied any relation to the children. Following an order from the Juvenile Prosecutor's Office, the girls were taken to the Nuestra Senora de la Paz Maternal Centre in La Laguna. The 38-year-old then admitted to being responsible for the car before fleeing the facility.

Another individual, believed to be a 35-year-old Polish man, arrived later claiming to be a friend of the girls' father. Following a police investigation, a 27-year-old British woman was confirmed as the mother of the girls and they were returned to her. The 38-year-old man remains missing and an arrest warrant has been issued in his name.

It comes as the family of Jay Slater say they are "holding on to hope" he will be found as they launch a fresh search for the missing teen today (July 6). Jay’s dad Warren and brother Zak joined a team of 10 volunteers to scour the mountainous region in Tenerife where the 19-year-old went missing. The group spent several hours in baking 25C heat as they searched the Valley of Barranco de Juan Lopez, close to the village of Masca.