Divers brought in as search for missing Joyce continues

Team members searched both the Combe Haven river and the pond near Pebsham Farm.

The move followed an intensive operation which began last Friday night and extended throughout Saturday.

Police officers on duty outside of Joyce's home stopped passing drivers and pedestrians to ask if they might have seen Joyce leaving seven days before.

Joyce's distraught daughters Carole Crathern and Nicky Gumbrell told last week how in a move totally uncharacteristic of her, their mother had left home without any prior indication sometime on Saturday, November 21.

The "fit and active" 74 year-old grandmother had agreed to babysit for Carole that evening and was due to go for a meal with Nicky on the Sunday.

Intensive police search operations in the first week involved the use of a police helicopter, dogs, specialist search teams and volunteers.

The road-side check a week Joyce's disappearance was conducted in the hope of jogging the memory of a passer-by who may have seen her leave home.

Inspector James Scott of the Bexhill Neighbourhood Policing Team said of the operation: "We had a huge response from the public on Friday night and again on Saturday from our activity at Pebsham.

"Sadly, nothing major has come out of it, though we are following up some leads."

The head of Rother CID, Detective Inspector Owen Poplett, said: "We still have inquiries running. But at the moment it remains a complete mystery."

Inspector Scott said: "The family dropped 150 police missing person posters bearing Joyce's details in Eastbourne and Hastings at the weekend because they wanted to help with their friends."