Police divers conducting a search of the Medway in the hunt for missing Pat Lamb have left for the day.

Specialist teams concentrated on a stretch that runs between the bottom of Earl Street and St Faith's Street, but their efforts have not yielded any more information.

It was conducted on the Fairmeadow side of the river, in conjunction with Kent Search and Rescue volunteers, and based on a new image of the 28-year-old which emerged earlier this week.

The grainy picture - unclear due to glare from various lights - shows Mr Lamb walking across Fairmeadow by Earl Street.

Police investigators say it ties in with a very good witness statement they have received.

There have been two divers in the river all day, but as darkness fell, both had been pulled out just after 5pm.

It is believed that options for tomorrow are now being assessed.

Today police also published a timeline of Mr Lamb's last-known movements. It is based on CCTV footage being cross checked with information from his friends and can be read here.

Friends are tonight holding another search in the town centre, where they will be handing out flyers and speaking to people in the hope that someone comes forward with information about Mr Lamb's whereabouts.

Volunteers are meeting at The Muggleton Inn in Maidstone High Street at 8pm.

It comes as a friend of Mr Lamb, who was out with him on December 12, recounted the events just before he disappeared.

Today's search is just a day after sniffer dogs scanned an area spanning the Millenium Bridge to Railway Bridge from 1.30pm until 3.30pm. The dogs, named Jake and Jess, took turns to pick up scents from the water.

The dogs' behaviour was analysed to see if there is anything of interest beneath the surface, but Tuesday's search failed to draw any conclusions.

The dogs were provided by the Surrey and Sussex police force. It is the third search of the river since December 19.

Paul Lewis, chairman of Kent Search and Rescue, said: "We focus very specifically on what we know.

"When we sent a team of divers down last week we focused on three anamolies and we were able to explain what they were.

"We have also flown a plane over the river on Tuesday looking for more anamolies."

The plane took 700 high definition photos of the river which will soon be assessed.

Earlier this week a possible lead on his last known whereabouts drew a blank.

A person matching the 28-year-old's description was spotted walking along the edge of the M2 Junction 3 to 4 coast-bound between 3.30am and 4.30am of Saturday, December 13.

Police have reviewed footage from the section of motorway at the specified time but unfortunately were unable to draw any leads.

A previous CCTV sighting of missing Pat Lamb places him in High Street, Maidstone, at midnight on Friday, December 12.

The grainy still shows Mr Lamb walking past Royal Star Arcade towards Pudding Lane.

Despite various sightings of the 5ft 7in broadcast engineer at later times in a number of locations being reported to Kent Police the force have drawn blanks from CCTV footage.

A spokesman for the force said: "The situation has not changed and we are continuing to review CCTV footage in the hope we will find a more recent image of Mr Lamb."

On Sunday evening search teams headed to Snodland after several sightings of a man matching Mr Lamb's description were reported online.

Police confirmed they had attended a call of a man acting suspiciously in the area but that links between the individual and Mr Lamb had not been reported to them.

Nothing was found when they arrived at the scene.

Yesterday it was revealed that the search for Mr Lamb was being expanded across the UK.

Pat is believed to have hit his head on a window in Gabriels Hill at around 11.30pm with footage showing a bouncer pointing him in the direction of paramedics — an instruction which he ignored.

His family were first alerted to his disappearance when friends woke up in the hotel room they were sharing and realised he had not returned.

Despite family and friends spending the Christmas period scouring parts of the town and areas further afield no new leads have been found.

Organisers have also urged people to look again in areas that have already been searched in case Pat is moving around.

In a Facebook statement, they said: "Thank you all so much for your help searching today, a lot more ground was covered and the support is amazing!

"We really couldn't do this without the Pat Lamb search team and many new friends."

Mr Lamb's relatives have also urged people to share the CCTV image of the missing man.

They said: "This photograph is literally crucial in helping us find Patrick and what direction he left the town.

"Please can everyone share this photograph onto their own Facebooks and also onto any Maidstone and surrounding area sites. We need people to really really think back to Friday December 12, this was taken at 11.59pm and need to see if this can jog anyone's memory.

"Even if we can talk to the group next to him taking money from the TSB bank as they definitely would have seen him walking down the High Street from Gabriels Hill."

His family spent Boxing Day walking the stretch of the London Road from Leybourne to Maidstone raising awareness while Miss Morgan, her parents and twin sister searched other parts of Maidstone.

Sister Zoe Lamb said: "We haven't had any updates. We are getting to that point where there's only so many places you can search. We are going to these places and don't even know if he's been here.

"If we had more of an idea where he has gone that would be great but we are just picking places on a map now.

"I think police have spent the day looking at more CCTV but we haven't heard anything."

The family also headed to Canterbury, where the broadcast engineer grew up.

While there they visited the Jolly Sailor pub, in Northgate.

Zoe said: "We decided to look around Canterbury on the off chance because he is known here and is known to wander after drinking so we can't rule any places out.

"The Jolly Sailor is a sentimental pub to Patrick as this is where the fundraising memorial drinks for his friend Rob Butler who recently passed away was held.

"We are waiting to get the maps from Kent Search and Rescue to see where has already been searched so we can then think where to search next.

"Police are continuing to review CCTV but are yet to find him on any other cameras."

In a post on a Facebook page set up to find Pat his family thanked those who joined them for their kindness and support.

While Zoe posted a separate message appealing for her brother to come home, it read: "Pat Lamb, if there's ever a time to decide to come home, today or tomorrow would be a good'un. Everyone has been out searching since you didn't come home and we will continue until you are found."

Miss Morgan also posted an emotional message on Facebook. It read: "Please Puddy where ever you are I hope I get you back soon safe and alive and that we can celebrate Christmas just slightly late I love you so much and I am searching for you today.

"Your mum is at the house if you can read this if you make your way back, I love you so much and wish we could snuggle right now xx."

Volunteers from Kent Search and Rescue spent days last week combing the banks and freezing waters of the River Medway but were unable to uncover anything.

Pat’s 65-year-old father Tony, from Greenhithe, urged families out over Christmas to keep an eye out for his son.

He said: “Obviously it’s going to be a very harrowing time over the next few days."

“My ultimate fear is that Pat has fallen into the river. We can only hope for the best but fear the worst.”

"Pat is known to have bought a Subway on Gabriels Hill, which suggests he was ready to go home."

Last week Miss Morgan released an emotional video appealing for her boyfriend to come home.