THE search for a missing Newport teenager who disappeared on Saturday afternoon moved south along the river Usk to an industrial estate today.

Posters appealing for information about 18-year-old Nida Ul-Naseer, who vanished from outside her Linton Street home in the Pill area of the city, have been translated into Urdu and distributed among Maindee’s Asian community as well as in Pill.

Today officers were looking around Stephenson Street Industrial Estate in Lliswerry, a spokeswoman for Gwent Police said, adding that the search has not been scaled down.

Gwent Police said earlier this week they had “grave concerns” for the welfare of Miss Ul-Naseer, whose family are Pakistani Muslims, as she does not have her anaemia medication with her.

Miss Ul-Naseer, a former Duffryn High School pupil, was last seen wearing blue jeans and a black top, and is described as slim and 5ft 3in tall.

Debbie Wilcox, Newport councillor and governor at Duffryn High School, told the Argus: “As a teacher myself, things like this don’t happen very often, thank goodness, and when they do all you can do is hope and pray for a successful outcome. It must be absolutely dreadful for the parents to be going through this.”

Fellow Duffryn High School governor and Pill councillor, Ibrahim Hayat, said that as a community everyone is concerned for Miss Ul-Naseer’s welfare.

“We want anyone who knows anything to contact the local police station straight away,” he said. “For myself and Cllr Omar Ali, the welfare of our constituents is very close to our hearts and we are praying for her safe return and to get in touch with her family.

“I just can’t believe something like this has happened in our community.”

Cllr Majid Rahman, member for Victoria ward, tweeted about Miss Ul-Naseer’s disappearance after he saw Gwent Police searching Maindee on horseback on New Year’s Day.

“Because Maindee has a large Asian population the police are appealing to anyone who might know the family,” he said.

“Maindee and Pill are connected more than any other [wards].

“Hopefully someone knows something through the grapevine, and might not have heard the news because of the New Year holiday.”

South Wales East AM Mohammad Asghar, who lives in Newport, said he knows the Ul-Naseer family and is hopeful of a positive conclusion to the search.

He said: “I am very confident that the police will find the young lady.

“I am very concerned but am hopeful that she will come back safe and sound. The officers are doing a wonderful job.”

On New Year’s Day dozens of police officers searched around Rodney Parade for the missing Coleg Gwent student, and used a sniffer dog and four horses which were available when the Newport County match was called off.

More than 40 specially-trained search officers were involved in making enquiries and searched derelict buildings and construction sites.

Chief Inspector Dan Taylor, who is overseeing and coordinating the search, said it was very out of character for the teenager to go missing and said police officers have a “distinct search” planned.

“We are hopeful but we have grave concerns,” he said.