RELIEVED family of a missing teenage boy were today due to be reunited with him after he was found in Felixstowe.Christopher Parker, 14, who lives with his grandparents in Eyke, told police he had been at the resort for the past week sleeping at the homes of older friends.

RELIEVED family of a missing teenage boy were today due to be reunited with him after he was found in Felixstowe.

Christopher Parker, 14, who lives with his grandparents in Eyke, told police he had been at the resort for the past week sleeping at the homes of older friends.

Although he had run away from home before, his family were growing increasingly worried as he had never stayed away so long on previous occasions.

Christopher's grandmother Carol Deade said: "We are just so pleased to know that he is safe and well – it will be lovely to have him back with us again.

"He rang the police yesterday afternoon after our appeals for him to get in touch and they are bringing him back to us today.

"We knew in our heart of hearts that he would be safe, especially as there had been sightings of him in Felixstowe during the week, but we just wanted to be sure that he was all right.

"Christopher has a lot of older friends and we understand that he wasn't sleeping rough but was staying at their homes.

"He is a big lad for his age – he is five feet ten inches tall – and he thinks he is about 18 instead of 14. He is growing up and he wants to be more grown up than he is – but you cannot put an old head on young shoulders.

"We have some things to sort out as a family and we need to sit down and talk to him when he comes back."

Christopher went missing last Thursday – travelling to Felixstowe and then ringing his grandparents to tell them he was at the resort.

But after that they heard nothing more from him except for the reported sightings of a youngster answering his description. Previously, he had only gone missing overnight.