A tearful husband whose wife has been missing for a week pleaded: "Please help find my wife."

There is growing concern Hilary Ball has come to harm after she vanished from her Sussex home a week ago yesterday.

The 53-year-old has no money with her, no belongings and her car was found dumped in the countryside.

More than 100 police and volunteers have found no trace of her, despite days of searching.

Members of the Sussex Police Major Crime Branch, which investigates murders and other serious crimes, have joined the hunt.

Her distraught husband Geoff, a 46-year-old IT worker, said his wife's disappearance was a mystery.

Nothing untoward had happened when Mrs Ball left their home in Horsted Keynes to go to her work in an insurance company office in nearby Haywards Heath.

Mr Ball told a Press conference at Horsham police station yesterday her disappearance came as a surprise to him and was out of character.

She had never gone missing before or run away.

He said: "No one seems to know where she has gone. We're mystified.

"If Hilary sees this, please contact me or anyone one of her friends."

Mr Ball described his wife as "well loved" and added: "She is a very private person and also a very strong character.

"We are all hoping she is not (dead)."

Mrs Ball, who suffers from depression, was reported missing by colleagues when she failed to show up for work.

Her blue Toyota Yaris car, registration GX51 LXZ, was discovered on a path from Birch Grove Road, Horsted Keynes, close to Ashdown Forest Cricket Club.

Mrs Ball, a keen rambler, is on medication but took no pills, money or belongings with her.

Mr and Mrs Ball have been together since 1979 and were married in 1985.

The police search has included surrounding countryside and the couple's home. Land around Birch Grove House in Chelwood Gate, the former home of the late prime minister Harold Macmillan, has also been scoured.

Chief Superintendent John Dransfield said Mrs Ball had not used any bank and had "no ability to sustain herself".

He said: "That is why we are so concerned.

"There is no reason to think her disappearance is suspicious but we remain open-minded."

He appealed to anyone who may have seen Mrs Ball's car from Saturday to the Monday she disappeared to come forward.

Mrs Ball is 5ft 4in, slim and was wearing a stone-coloured Berghaus jacket with khaki shoulder patches and a terracotta collar.

Anyone with information should Contact the Operation Elphin incident room on 0845 6070999.