PETER Lawrence, the father of missing York chef Claudia Lawrence, was today due to be speaking at a seminar in the city.

The event at the York Hilton hotel will be attended by members of the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, named after the estate agent who went missing in London in 1986 at the age of 25 and has never been found.

The seminar has been organised by Carole Carter, regional representative of the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA), in an attempt to highlight personal safety issues. So far, more than 60 people have signed up to attend.

Claudia, from Heworth, vanished in March 2009 when she was 35 and her disappearance is being treated as murder.