A VULNERABLE woman has been found alive and well after a huge eight-hour search last night (Monday) in a Borders town.
The 27-year-old was last seen wandering through woods in Galashiels, with no shoes on at around 1pm.
Police officers combed the Gala Policies area of the town to no avail, and as darkness fell a search-and-rescue helicopter was called in from RAF Bulmer in Northumberland along with local mountain rescue teams.
The chopper hovered over the town for almost three hours shining spotlights onto areas to assist searchers on the ground.
There were major concerns for the woman’s safety in the wet conditions and with temperatures dipping dramatically.
But at around 9.30pm she was found in the field of a farm on the outskirts of Galashiels.
The woman, who has learning difficulties, was taken to Borders General Hospital near Melrose, Roxburghshire, to be checked over.
However a spokeswoman for Lothian and Borders Police said:”She has a few scratches but she is going to be fine.”
The appeals in the media and on social networking sites prompted locals to join the eight-hour search in Galashiels for the missing woman which had a successful conclusion.