THE heartbroken father of missing York chef Claudia Lawrence has vowed to increase his efforts in the hunt for his daughter – six months to the day after she vanished without a trace.

In a desperate effort to keep the investigation to find his daughter alive, Peter Lawrence will today hold a press conference at the Nag’s Head – the pub that was a regular haunt for the popular 35-year-old.

Mr Lawrence will be making a fresh plea to the public for information on Claudia’s whereabouts at the pub in Heworth Road – just doors away from the cottage where she lived alone – as he tells how of his grief in experiencing the devastating anniversary of his daughter’s disappearance he never thought he would have to face.

Mr Lawrence was also set to appear this morning on live appeals on GMTV, BBC 1 Breakfast and Radio Five Live.

And as the disappearance of Claudia – which has sparked one of the biggest investigations in the history of North Yorkshire Police – reaches its 183rd day, a fresh photograph of the University of York chef is set to be circulated in a bid to keep her name in the public eye.

Martin Dales, Mr Lawrence’s friend and spokesman, said: “Six months is a long time – no one thought we would still be here doing what we are doing in the search for Claudia.

“The gap left by her disappearance is huge in Mr Lawrence’s life – as it is for the rest of the family.

“It only seems like yesterday that this terrible thing happened.

“It has been a strange six months and Mr Lawrence has been left in limbo. He does not know where she is, how she is, if somebody is looking after her, or what has happened to her – all the things that would go through any father’s mind in this situation.

“What we are hoping for on this day, six months after her disappearance, is to show through the media that we are not letting up our efforts in keeping Claudia’s name in everyone’s minds.

“In fact, we will be redoubling our efforts.

“We do not want this six months to turn into a year.”

Claudia has not been seen since March 18 and police are treating her disappearance – which has prompted more than 1,200 calls to police hotlines, searches of hundreds of properties, Crimewatch appeals, a £10,000 reward and pleas for help by Dr John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York – as suspected murder.

As The Press has exclusively revealed, the hunt for the 35-year-old has been one of the most costly investigations North Yorkshire police have ever faced, with upwards of half-a-million pounds dedicated to the search to date.

If you have information to help the investigation, phone North Yorkshire Police on 0845 6060247 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.