A FAMILY of a mother feared to have been murdered have issued an emotional appeal for information so they can finally lay her to rest.

This weekend will be the seventh anniversary of the disappearance of Sandra Gant.

Mrs Gant was last seen at an address in Hayes Road, Clacton and was a well-known character in and around the town centre.

Essex Police have made several arrests since the mother-of-four disappeared but no-one has ever been charged and Mrs Gant’s body has never been found.

Now a fresh appeal has been launched in a bid to find the information that will finally give her family the information they have been longing for.

It is known that Mrs Gant, who was 48 at the time, was last seen by her family on Friday, November 14, 2003, but it is known that she went to a soup kitchen in the town the day after where she met up with a couple of friends.

The trio and a new male acquaintance then went for a drink at a nearby flat.

It is thought that Mrs Gant left alone sometime later that evening to go home but it is not known whether she ever reached there and she has not been seen since.

The divorcee lived alone in a flat in Wellesley Road, Clacton and would meet fellow drinkers in the town centre.

She had regular contact with her family and was due to meet one of her daughters a few days after she disappeared, but never showed up.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Godfrey O’Toole said there were people in Clacton with the information that would solve the mystery.

He said: “We never close an unsolved case.

“We know there are people living in Clacton who have crucial information on Sandra’s last moments and where she is now.

“Someone holds the key to unlocking the mystery surrounding her disappearance and presumed death.

“We hope our anniversary appeal will strike a cord with someone and prompt them to contact us with information.

“Sandra’s family continue to hope someone will come forward with some answers about their mum’s disappearance.”

Mrs Gant’s daughter, Carrie, said: “We need to find our mum to bring her home and lay her to rest, knowing she is no longer lost and alone will release us of our nightmare and finally allow us to grieve in peace with our memories”

And in a statement, the family said: “They say time is a great healer, for us this is not true.

“After seven years of regular TV interviews, radio broadcasts and newspaper appeals we are still waiting for information to come forward and our mum to be found.

“We believe our mum was murdered and someone in the Clacton / Tendring area must know something, we ask ourselves how can our mother disappear from such a small town like Clacton without a trace.

“We need your help in finding the answers as you are our only help, please, please help us by talking to friends, family and neighbours about our mum because it might just jog someone’s memory.”

Anyone with information should contact Essex Police on 0300 3334444.