WE TOLD COPS OF ALEX FEARS SIX YEARS AGO

British owners of a French B&B were 'suspicious' of family who checked in

- PHIL CARDY

A BRITISH couple who ran a French B&B say they raised the alarm after hosting Alex Batty and his mum six years ago but the police did nothing.

John and Margaret Johnson claim detectives bungled their chance of finding the missing teen, who re-appeared last month.

The couple said they became suspicious of a boy, mum and grandad who checked in to their camp site in the Pyrenees over their odd behaviour.

They gave officers the registration plate of a camper van but were told it was a "French problem", they claim.

By the next day, when they were going to contact French authorities, the boy and his family had vanished.

The couple remembered the encounter when they saw recent coverage of Alex's story.

John said: "I recognised Alex straight away as the boy.