UPDATE: North Yorkshire Police have confirmed they will carry out searches of the bank of the River Ouse today.

Superintendent Phil Cain will give a briefing to the media today, and officers will perform riverbank searches throughout the day.

CONCERNS are growing for a York student who has been missing for five days.

Megan Roberts, who is 20 and a fine-art student at York St John University, was reported missing by her mother at 8.30am on Monday, but was last seen by friends on a night out in York last week.

Megan, originally from Wetherby, went out with a group of friends to Popworld in George Hudson Street on Wednesday, and is believed to have left the club at about 2am the following morning, but has not been seen or heard from since.

Inspector Andy Farrar said police were very concerned for her safety, and CCTV had been seized from the venue, and from council cameras, to try to track her movements after leaving the club.

However, police say there is nothing to suggest criminal activity or anything sinister in Megan’s disappearance.

Inspector Farrar said: “We have a rough idea when she left so can start from there and work backwards and hopefully council CCTV will pick up more as to who she left with and other leads.

“There is no suggestion she left with someone else, but it is something that is being considered. CCTV will hopefully confirm or negate that.”

Megan lives in the Clifton area, but Insp Farrar said there was a variety of routes she could have taken through the city.

He said it was not clear whether Megan was expected in lectures on Thursday or Friday, and her friends contacted her mother on Monday morning, which was when the investigation launched.

Since then, friends of Megan have posted pictures on her Facebook timeline and urged users to share them to help locate her.

Insp Farrar said officers believe Megan had her phone when she disappeared, and while “there is nothing to suggest criminal activity or anything sinister”, the lack of updates to her social media profiles since Wednesday was a concern.

He said the search was considered a “high-risk missing from home” investigation, because of the length of time Megan has not been in contact with anyone.

Insp Farrar said: “Megan is quite an active user of social media and it adds to the concern that there has been no contact at all. More so from her parents and family, but she could have a problem with her phone.

“It is totally out of character for her. She normally gets in touch and keeps in touch with friends and family on social media.”

Megan is about 5ft 6ins, of medium build with long, dark-brown hair. When she was last seen, she was wearing a cream knee-length dress with large brown and orange flowers on it, and black plimsoll shoes.

A spokeswoman for York St John University said: “Our thoughts are with Megan’s family and friends at this distressing time. The university is doing all it can to assist the police with their inquiries and to support Megan’s fellow students.”

Anyone who has seen Megan since the early hours of Thursday, or knows her current whereabouts, should phone North Yorkshire Police on 101.