THE father of Claudia Lawrence has vowed her family will never stop appealing for answers about the missing chef after police announced they were scaling down their investigations.

Retired solicitor Peter Lawrence urged anyone who can end his family’s misery to come forward following North Yorkshire Police stating almost all avenues of inquiry had been exhausted since review into the investigation into the 35-year-old’s 2009 disappearance in York was set up in 2013.

Mr Lawrence said his determination remained undiminished days after Miss Lawrence's mother, Joan, Lawrence, who was born and brought up in Darlington and now lives in Malton, said she was more determined than ever not to give up hope.

Miss Lawrence was reported missing after she failed to turn up for a shift at work at the University of York.

Police believe she was murdered, although no body has ever been discovered.

Only one element of the £1m police review - a new DNA investigation - remains active, but could be closed within the next six weeks, and police said the lack of honest information from the public was one reason for the scaling back of the review.

Mr Lawrence said he accepted the decision by police to scale back Operation Essence, but his daughter's family would not stop appealing for answers.

He said: “Following the detailed briefing which police have given to the family, the police may stop looking for Claudia and that is quite understandable at this stage.

"But we will never stop looking for Claudia, until we find her or find out what happened to her.

“We know that there is someone who is withholding information which will help us and even friends or relatives of that person who wrongly feel that they should protect them.”

Mr Lawrence said Claudia’s disappearance had taken a terrible toll on her family, and he hoped that even as the police investigation began a "reactive phase" they could still find some closure.

He said: “The stress the family has been under for eight years is enormous and it is only fair that we should know what happened to our lovely daughter. If she really was murdered it is only right that we should be able to give her a decent burial.

“After eight years, two investigations and everything else they have done, it is understandable. They are reliant on information coming forward which is why we still need to keep people thinking about Claudia and deciding that it is high time that the family was put out of its misery.”