POLICE investigating the suspected murder of York chef Claudia Lawrence have received more than 30 calls following last night’s appeal on Crimewatch.

Detective Superintendent Ray Galloway, who is leading the investigation, used the programme to show CCTV footage showing the 35-year-old’s last recorded movements, as well as a mystery silver car and a man they wanted to trace.

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Officers also revealed they had recently visited southern Ireland to carry out inquiries.

Claudia, who would have celebrated her 36th birthday tomorrow, has not been seen since March 18 last year, when she finished a shift at the University of York’s Roger Kirk Centre canteen.

Police believe she has come to harm, probably after meeting somebody she knew during her walk to work from her home in Heworth Road the following morning. She never arrived for the start of her 6am shift.

The mystery car shown during the Crimewatch appeal was captured on CCTV pulling up outside the post office in Melrosegate in York – the route Claudia walked to work – at around 5.20am on March 18, 19 and 25.

Meanwhile, the man shown on the CCTV that police are desperately trying to trace was wearing a hooded top and was walking past the post office in Melrosegate shortly before 5am on March 18.

This is about 200 yards from the spot where a witness has seen a man wearing a hooded top standing opposite a woman on Melrosegate Bridge, on either March 18 or 19 at 5.10am.

A number of new witnesses who may have seen the pair on Melrosegate rang the programme after seeing the appeal, as well as people who believed they could identify the type of car in the CCTV.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 0845 60 60 247 or Crimestoppers, which is offering a £10,000 reward, on 0800 555 111.