THE family of Claudia Lawrence have called on anyone who has any information about her to come forward on the 10th anniversary of her disappearance.

Claudia, who is originally from Malton, was 35 when she was last heard from on Wednesday, March 18, 2009.

Her father, Peter Lawrence who spoke to Claudia, who worked as a chef at York University, that evening said the decade of uncertainty had seen his family “destroyed from the inside”.

“We just had a brief chat about meeting up, as we quite often did, on the Friday. It was only two days away. Look what happened in between. In some ways, I just can’t believe it. I was talking to her and then, all of a sudden, there was no sight nor sound of her," he added.

“It’s a very strange feeling that it’s 10 years since we last saw Claudia. She disappeared, and sometimes that seems to be an eternity, and others, strangely, it doesn’t seem much time at all.

Peter said he found it galling that anyone could keep a secret that could tear a family apart, and urged anyone who had information which could help police to come forward.

He said: “It’s high time they let the family know because it’s a dreadful feeling, not knowing.

“You can understand, in a way, I suppose, if any one individual was responsible for Claudia’s disappearance they might not come forward, but other people must know about it and I just cannot understand them not telling the truth and coming forward."

Peter said the pain after 10 years was “less raw, but no less significant”, and “it still eats into you, the not knowing”.

Claudia's mother Joan, who lives in Norton,  said she felt “overwhelmed" by the milestone anniversary of her daughter's disappearance.

"I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed with the 10th anniversary, but honestly, it's been absolutely amazing the way people are gathering round,” she said.

"If you have to go through something like this, it's much better to go through it in a small community like this. I would imagine you could be quite lonely going through something like this in a big city.

"I've got my faith too. It's been very helpful. It's got me through every day. I do pretty well, really, and I have got my health."

Joan said she was still unsure what had happened to Claudia, but was certain "somebody out there knows something".

She said: "I don't know how they live with themselves.

"I've thought about this a lot. Dwindle it down to numbers, and you get from 200 people to 100 people to 50 and usually, if there's more than one person involved, someone says something.

“A lot of people can't keep it to themselves for a long time. But we just don't know, do we? It's all just speculation."

Detective Superintendent Dai Malyn, head of the Cleveland and North Yorkshire Major Investigation Team, said: “A decade on, North Yorkshire Police will never give up on Claudia and her family.

“It remains the case that we strongly suspect key and vital information is being withheld that could provide the breakthrough that we all want to see, not least Claudia’s heartbroken family.

“Unless we get information or intelligence to suggest that Claudia came to harm as a result of an opportunity taken by someone unconnected to her, me and the team still strongly believe the answer lies locally.

“As with some recent cold case successes, the breakthrough has come from the public and we still have confidence that this will be the case.

“As ever, our thoughts and continued support are with Claudia’s loved ones on this very poignant occasion. We all hope that those responsible for her disappearance and suspected murder are brought to justice.”

Anyone with information that could assist the investigation should contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option one, and pass details to the Force Control Room.

Alternatively, phone Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or through their Anonymous Online Form at www.crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information cannot be traced or recorded and you will not go to court.

Please quote “Claudia Lawrence” when providing details.`