Neighbour denies chef involvement

Mr Beresforde said Miss Lawrence had never been inside his home

A neighbour of missing chef Claudia Lawrence has denied having anything to do with her disappearance after police searched his home.

A team of officers spent several hours searching Blake Beresforde's house in Heworth Road, York, on Friday.

Mr Beresforde, 21, who lives two doors down from Miss Lawrence, said his home had been searched before and he had been questioned but not arrested.

He said he had met Miss Lawrence but had never had a relationship with her.

Miss Lawrence, 35, has been missing for nearly four months. Detectives are treating her disappearance as suspected murder.

Mr Beresforde said police first approached him about two weeks after Miss Lawrence was reported missing and searched his home and garden.

House 'rampaged'

He told BBC News: "They got the dogs in, they told me that I had to go to the police station for questioning. I spent four hours there and I signed a consent form to say that they can search my property."

Mr Beresforde said Miss Lawrence, who he described as "always very smiley, quite a happy woman", had never been inside his home.

He said: "I haven't really known her on a friend-to-friend basis, I have just known her as a neighbour and I am being treated like I am the one who's done it."

A team of officers forced their way into the house

Mr Beresforde said he was angry that police had not told him about Friday's search, and about the condition his home was left in.

He said the front door had been broken, he found footprints throughout the house, rubbish bags emptied on the floor, his sofas overturned and the contents of his cupboards emptied on to his bed.

He said: "They should leave it how they found it and at least contact me to let me know that me house has just been raided.

"I have been compliant and said they could search the house. They have not even bothered ringing me. I was the last person to know, my neighbours rang me.

"I have done everything they have asked and I have even said that if there's anything else I can do to help I am willing.

"They have just rampaged my house basically."

North Yorkshire Police said no one was available for comment.