POLICE investigating the disappearance and suspected murder of York chef Claudia Lawrence 12 years ago say they have finished searching gravel pits at Sand Hutton - and that the searches have yielded no major new clues.

Detective Superintendent Wayne Fox, who is leading the investigation, confirmed that 'nothing of obvious significance' was found during searches of part of the wooded area and in the smaller of the two lakes at the gravel pits.

He said: "A small number of items were recovered during the two-week search. Whilst these items are being assessed for their forensic potential, any relevance to Claudia’s disappearance has not currently been established."

Claudia’s family, who continue to be supported and updated by North Yorkshire Police, have been made aware, police say.

But Martin Dales, a family friend of Claudia's father Peter, today described the outcome of the latest police searches as 'unsatisfactory' and 'cruel'.

Mr Dales, who only yesterday told The Press that Peter Lawrence would have welcomed the fact that the police had not given up on the search for Claudia, said: “This is very sad news that, despite these recent detailed and extensive searches by the police, there remains no further information on the whereabouts of Claudia Lawrence for the 150 months she has now been missing.

“This is totally unsatisfactory and grossly unfair and cruel on all who care about Claudia. How many more times have family, friends and police got to appeal for the information needed to be with the police to bring closure, good or bad, for this seemingly never ending nightmare.”

Teams of police search experts, specially trained search dogs, divers and forensic archaeologists took part in the search, which began on August 24.

York Press:

Officers searched the woods near the gravel pits, as well as the lakes themselves

On September 2, police confirmed  that they had drained one of the fishing ponds at the gravel pits.

They remained tight-lipped about what had led them to search the area, however.

Today, Det Supt Fox said that separate strands of information had been received by detectives investigating Claudia’s disappearance.

He said: “When we assessed these separate and independently-sourced pieces of information against the wealth of information already generated during the last 12 years, we found they correlated with other information pointing to the area of Sand Hutton.

“We then consulted a number of national experts in various different disciplines and concluded that we could not discount the possibility that Sand Hutton gravel pits could have a major relevance in explaining what happened to Claudia.

“Armed with fresh information to the enquiry, that seemed to corroborate known facts, we were duty bound to conduct thorough searches of the area. Not searching was not an option – not for Claudia, not for her family, and not for the wider public.”

York Press:

Det Supt Fox: 'We were duty-bound to investigate'

Det Supt Fox added: “As a result of the publicity surrounding the last two weeks, members of the public have come forward with new information for which I am grateful. This will be assessed and investigated in the coming days and weeks.

He stressed that, despite some 'media speculation', North Yorkshire Police were not liaising with any other police force in relation to the new lines of enquiry.

“As I hope the events of the last two weeks demonstrate, we are committed to establishing what happened to Claudia and bringing closure for her family," he said.

"You cannot fail to be moved by the ongoing suffering of a mother who does not know what has happened to her daughter. I again repeat the request to those who know what has happened to Claudia, to do the right thing, come forward and help end the torment of Claudia’s family.”

York Press:

Claudia Lawrence: The York chef disappared 12 years ago and has not been seen since

Anyone with information that could help detectives with the investigation is being urged to  contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 1, and thenpass details to the force control toom quoting “Claudia Lawrence”.

Alternatively, if they wish to remain anonymous, they can pass information to independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, quoting “Claudia Lawrence, North Yorkshire Police”.

A report can also be made online at crimestoppers-uk.org