A MISSING teenager's mother has today said she is reluctant to get her hopes up after the latest possible sighting. Nicki Durbin's son, Luke, went missing in the early hours of Friday, May 12, 2006, when he was 19 years old, following a night out with friends.

A MISSING teenager's mother has today said she is reluctant to get her hopes up after the latest possible sighting.

Nicki Durbin's son, Luke, went missing in the early hours of Friday, May 12, 2006, when he was 19 years old, following a night out with friends.

Suffolk Police has made a fresh appeal to find him after a number of potential sightings in the Whitechapel area of London.

Today, Ms Durbin, of Coronation Avenue, Hollesley, near Woodbridge, said she is not overly optimistic about the latest news.

She said: “It certainly raises hope however as with all the other sightings, you have to stay grounded.

“When I first heard about this, my initial reaction was to go straight to London but I was with my parents at the time and they said 'where are you going to start'.

“Since Luke has been gone, it has been like an emotional rollercoaster and these sightings are like an extra one. Until it is bottomed out, we are no further forward.

“I used to get ecstatic when I heard about a sighting but the come down from that is so bad. If it is Luke, I would ask him to please get in touch.”

The original sighting was at the junction of Brushfield Street and Commercial Road and on Tuesday officers searched that area.

They spoke to a group of people, one of whom, when shown a photograph of Luke, said they thought he had been seen in a nearby park known as Itchy Park around Christmas time.

Acting detective Inspector Ian Addison called for information about Luke, who may now look slightly older and thinner than the photographs issued at the time of his disappearance.

He added: “While this may not be Luke, the new information obviously gives us a potential line of enquiry that we are following.

“It is notable that at least four separate people have now said that a man matching his description had been seen in the area and it's possible that other people have more definite information that may be able to progress our enquires.”

Anyone with information about Luke's whereabouts should call Suffolk police on 01473 613500 or the Missing People's 24-hour free phone service on 0500 700700.

Luke's family have also set up a website at www.findluke.com.