Police investigating the disappearance of Elaine Taggart are mounting a huge search operation today amid fears she may have been murdered.

Mrs Taggart vanished from her home in Ferring early in January.

About 30 officers and Neighbourhood Watch volunteers will scour fields in Goring and Ferring, using specially trained dogs provided by Essex Police.

Detective Chief Inspector Adam Hibbert, of Sussex Police's major crime branch, said: "It is now almost three months since anyone saw Mrs Taggart. There has been no trace of her and, with every week that passes, we must now fear the worst.

"Today our investigation is moving into a new search phase, on the basis that she may either have met with an accident or become the victim of a serious crime.

"Whilst this remains a missing person inquiry, we are now confronting the strong possibility that Elaine Taggart is no longer alive."

The last confirmed sighting of Mrs Taggart, 48, was in early January.

Her red Fiat Punto was found in Goring Street, not far from Goring railway station, on January 4.

Repeated appeals from the police and from her family for her to make contact have gone unanswered.

Family birthdays and Mothers Day have passed with no word from Mrs Taggart.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Sussex Police on 0845 60 70 999 quoting Operation Gordon. Alternatively they can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 without leaving their name, or call the charity Missing People on 0500 700 700.