A £10,000 reward has been offered to help police in the hunt for missing chef Claudia Lawrence – even though there is no evidence that a crime has been committed.

Crimestoppers representatives said the charity had taken the unusual step to offer the “enhanced reward” because of public interest in the case.

Miss Lawrence, 35, was last seen by colleagues at the University of York’s Goodricke College on Wednesday, March 18.

Detectives originally treated her disappearance as a missing person’s inquiry. However, police believe she may have come to harm after meeting someone she knew.

Crimestoppers has put forward a £10,000 reward in the hope someone has vital information.

Dave Hunter, Crimestoppers regional manager for the North-East and North Yorkshire area, said: “Crimestoppers has put in an enhanced reward of £10,000 for information relating to this case.

“It is quite unusual because at this moment in time, no crime has been committed. However, it is such a big issue and the public have been captivated by the case.

“From a Crimestoppers point of view, we hope this will generate specific information relating to Claudia, which can help police with their inquiries.”

He said Crimestoppers offered a sliding scale of rewards depending on the severity of the case. The last time the charity had offered a £10,000 reward in the region was last August, after Chinese couple Xi Zhou and Zhen Xing Yang, were found mutilated in their groundfloor flat in Croydon Road, Newcastle.

Mr Hunter said: “Hopefully, somebody out there knows something.

If, for whatever reason, they feel they cannot talk to police, they can certainly talk to us in absolute confidence.”

The hunt for Miss Lawrence is the biggest investigation North Yorkshire Police has conducted since the search for multiple killer Mark Hobson five years ago.

The search was launched after Miss Lawrence failed to arrive for her 6am shift at the University of York’s Roger Kirk Centre the day after she was last seen.

Police have received more than 900 phone calls and taken 868 statements and reports. A total of 270 properties have been searched.

Miss Lawrence has not been in touch with friends or family since 8.23pm on March 19, when she sent a text to a friend arranging to meet later in the week. Police hope students returning to York following the Easter holidays may have information.

Detectives are also following up lines of inquiry after new witnesses came forward.

North Yorkshire Police can be contacted on 0845-60-60-24-7.

Crimestoppers can be contacted on 0800-555-111.