THE hunt for missing student Megan Roberts, who was last seen six days ago, has been stepped up as North Yorkshire police search riverbanks near where she was last seen.

Megan, aged 20, was reported missing after she failed to return from a night out with friends in York city centre on Thursday, January 23.

It's been revealed that she tweeted a week earlier that a man had followed her and a friend from pub to pub, before sitting beside them and staring at them.

Police say they are aware of the tweet.

Megan had been to Popworld on George Hudson Street where she stayed until the early hours before she vanished.

Police have been reviewing CCTV footage to try and trace Megan’s movements after she left the bar and have established she was with a group of people on the corner of Rougier Street near Lendal Bridge at around 2.20am.

The group was seen a short time later at the other side of Lendal Bridge, on Museum Street but Megan was not with them.

The regional underwater unit and specialist teams from North Yorkshire Police are carrying out searches along the banks of the river Ouse which has been swollen by recent heavy rain.

Megan is a student at York St John University and police say they are becoming increasingly concerned for her safety.

Superintendent Phil Cain, of North Yorkshire Police, said: “We are very concerned for Megan’s welfare and are urging the public to help us establish her movements in the early hours of Thursday, January 23 2014.

He said that she had not followed her usual route home, via Exhibition Square and Bootham.

Friends believed the student, who is from Wetherby but was living in Clifton, may have gone home visit her ex-boyfriend but they raised the alarm after realising that no-one had heard from her.

Supt Cain said: “As with all missing persons enquiries we are doing everything we can to locate Megan and make sure she is safe and well.

"Her disappearance and the fact that she has not had any contact with her family and friends for almost six days now is extremely unlike her and adds to our concern.

“Megan’s family are understandably very distressed by her disappearance and I would appeal for anyone who has any information at all about where she might be to get in touch with the police as soon as possible.”

She is described as white, around 5ft 6ins tall,medium build with long dark brown hair.

When last seen she was wearing a cream knee length dress which had large brown and orange flowers on it and black plimsoll type shoes.

Anyone with information should contact North Yorkshire Police on 101 – select option 1 – and give information to the Force Control Room.

The appeal to trace Megan Roberts is also being supported by the Missing People charity. Information from the public - or from Megan herself - can be passed on free of charge and in confidence by calling 116 000.