A truck driver reportedly saw missing Royston author Helen Bailey in Baldock the day after she went missing, police say.

Officers are planning to search the Warren Lane area of the town after the truck driver said he saw her walking her dog sometime between 8am and 10am last Tuesday.

Two other people have come forward to say they saw Helen on the afternoon she went missing in the Heathfield area of Royston, which has been searched by police.

The ongoing searches in and around her home address are now being extended into the lesser used dog walking routes in the area, in case the children’s author took any of these routes.

North Herts Chief Inspector Julie Wheatley said: “We are still very much keeping an open mind around the circumstances of Helen’s disappearance, bearing in mind she had stated that she needed some time to herself before she was last seen. However, as time goes on, the concerns for her welfare are growing and we are continuing to support her family at this extremely difficult time.

“While we cannot be sure the reported sightings are of Helen, we will of course follow up any potential leads which may assist us in finding her. I would like to thank members of the public for contacting us and would encourage anyone who has any information which could assist our inquiries to please call us straight away.

“Alongside the public searches, extensive enquiries have been taking place in the background such as checking CCTV and speaking with people who know Helen.”

The author is best known for the Electra Brown and Daisy Davenport book series, and wrote the book When Bad Things Happen in Good Bikinis, a memoir about the drowning of her late husband John in 2011, while the couple were on holiday in Barbados.

Helen moved to Royston from London with her partner Ian Stewart – from Letchworth – in 2013 and, in an interview with the Royston Crow in October, described the community spirit in the town as ‘just fabulous’.

She said: “People have been incredibly welcoming to me. I know more people in two years here than I did in two decades in north London. I can’t walk down my road without someone waving to me.”

To download a poster, search for ‘Help us Find Helen Bailey Missing People’.

Helen is described as slim, with long black hair but it is not known what she was wearing at the time she went missing. It is also believed that Helen may have her dog with her – a miniature Dachshund named Boris.

The author has connections to Kent, Northumbria and London.

Anyone who sees her, or believes they may know of her whereabouts, is asked to contact police on 101 straight away.