Police are continuing to search for four young people following an escape incident at Ashley Youth Detention Centre overnight.

Three of the seven young people allegedly involved in the incident are safely back in custody at Ashley Youth Detention Centre as of this morning.

Police responded to the centre just before 7pm last night, after reports of a disturbance within the facility.

Three staff members were physically assaulted by some of the young people during the disturbance with one receiving non life threatening injuries to their neck and hands.

Seven young people escaped the facility in a vehicle.

Police were called and quickly deployed significant resources to the area, including the Westpac Rescue Helicopter.

Just after 10pm, the stolen vehicle was located in the Penguin area, with the young people believed to have fled on foot.

One of the young people was safely taken into custody just before 1am.

A second vehicle was then commandeered by two of the young people near Ulverstone just before 7.30am this morning. They were arrested a short time later without incident and safely returned to Ashley Youth Detention Centre.

Police are continuing to actively search the North and North West of the state for the remaining four.

The young people were last seen wearing black pants, and a black top and or a black hoodie.

One has been described as having short brown hair with blonde tips and a rats tail, the second has short dark hair, the third has long dark hair, and the fourth has short light brown hair.They are all between 170 and 180 centimetres tall.

Members of the public are advised not to approach the young people, and to contact police on 131 444 or triple zero in an emergency.