A MAJOR search of property and land has been carried out by police hunting for missing York chef Claudia Lawrence.

The two-day search took place in and around a home near Ellerton, which is between Thorganby and Bubwith, near Selby.

About 20 officers were involved in the search of the property and nearby fields, while police frogmen were brought in to scour culverts on land surrounding the house.

North Yorkshire Police were remaining tight-lipped about the search, which finished yesterday afternoon. The Press understands some items have been taken away for further analysis, although the force refused to confirm this.

Location of Ellerton, East Yorkshire

A spokeswoman said: “Police investigating the disappearance of Claudia Lawrence are conducting searches in the area of Ellerton in Humberside.

“The searches are as a result of a recent development within the investigation.

“They began on May 24. No arrests have been made.”

Martin Dales, spokesman for Claudia’s father Peter Lawrence, said: “I am encouraged that police are looking in areas that have not perhaps been looked at before, and hope something useful comes out of it.”

Since Claudia went missing in March of last year, officers taking part in the murder inquiry have launched several major searches, but have found nothing.

The last big operation took place in March this year when officers conducted finger-tip searches of an area known as The Outgang in Heslington, a network of paths and fields popular with dog-walkers and joggers.

This, like the other searches, proved fruitless and police appeared to be no closer to discovering Claudia’s whereabouts than they were when she first disappeared, despite huge publicity including two appeals on BBC’s Crimewatch.

Claudia grew up in Malton and was living in Heworth when she vanished.

She was last seen alive on March 18, 2009, and a police search was launched after she failed to turn up for work at the University of York the following day.