Concerns are growing for a woman who set out for home from south west London last week but never made it.

Samantha Hemmings, from Bristol, was last seen by a friend getting on a bus from New Malden to Putney Bridge at around 5.30pm on July 25.

The 28-year-old told her friend she was making her way to Victoria Bus Station to return to Bristol but has not been seen since.

Police have been carrying out enquiries since Samantha was reported missing the following day.

Enquiries have established that she spoke to a guard at Putney Bridge and boarded a tube train but it is not known if Samantha made it back to Bristol.

The police investigation is focuses on both Bristol and London and officers are working closely with their colleagues in the Metropolitan Police. Her father, Roger Hemmings, said: "Samantha was the sort of person who, if she was stuck, would feel confident approaching a stranger asking for help.

"She knows phone numbers for people who can help her, which is why her disappearance is so out of character.

"Since Samantha went missing it feels like the bottom has dropped out of our world. If you have seen her please contact the police as we just want her home and want her safe."

Samantha is described as a white woman, 5'6" tall, medium build and with blonde medium-length hair.

She has a scar on her right arm, a tattoo of Pegasus on her left calf and some Chinese writing on her right ankle.

When she was last seen she had her hair tied up in a ponytail, and was wearing blue jeans, black trainers with a pink Nike logo and pink laces.

She was carrying a small black plastic bag and had a yellow bandanna in her back pocket.

Investigating Samantha's disappearance, Detective Inspector Marie Wright, said: "Samantha has now been missing for a week and as each day passes we are growing increasingly concerned for her welfare.

"We are conducting enquiries in both London and Bristol and we are appealing for anyone who has seen Samantha to come forward."

Samantha's family live in the Lawrence Weston area of Bristol.

If you have seen Samantha since she went missing or have information which might help please contact Avon and Somerset Police on 0845 456 7000.