Regatta crowd plea over Claudia

Claudia Lawrence was last seen near her home in York on 18 March

The search for missing chef Claudia Lawrence has focused on Whitby this weekend as thousands of people flocked to the resort for the annual regatta.

The family of the 35-year-old from York hope that posters in the town will jog memories among the 50,000 visitors.

They urged anyone who had seen unusual activity where they live or where they are staying to tell the police.

It is five months since Miss Lawrence was last seen near her home. Police believe she was murdered.

Last week, Det Supt Galloway of North Yorkshire Police said the force remained "committed" to the inquiry.

'Absolutely determined'

He added that it was "highly likely" that the person responsible for Miss Lawrence's disappearance was someone she knew, and may have been in a relationship with.

"This is still a committed and a very thorough investigation," Mr Galloway said.

"The investigators are absolutely determined to find out what happened to Claudia."

Miss Lawrence was last seen near her home in Heworth Road, York on 18 March. She spoke to both her parents on the phone that evening but failed to turn up for work the next day.

One theory about what happened to her is that she could have been attacked or abducted as she walked to her workplace in a kitchen at the University of York's Goodricke College on 19 March.