KNOWN sex offenders are being targeted in the search for two missing prostitutes in Ipswich, police have revealed today.As fears grow for 19-year-old Tania Nicol and now 25-year-old Gemma Adams, police say they are becoming increasingly concerned over the whereabouts of the pair.

KNOWN sex offenders are being targeted in the search for two missing prostitutes in Ipswich, police have revealed today.

As fears grow for 19-year-old Tania Nicol and now 25-year-old Gemma Adams, police say they are becoming increasingly concerned over the whereabouts of the pair.

As revealed on the Evening Star website yesterday Miss Adams was reported missing by her boyfriend on Wednesday morning after she failed to return home.

Under the name of Operation Keystone, teams of police were last night working in parts of the town between Handford Road and Bramford Road including Sirdar Road, Prospect Road, Victoria Street and Ainslie Road.

They were stopping people to ask if anyone had seen anything on the previous night when Miss Adams went missing or whether anyone actually knew her.

Police are also working with the probation service to see if any sex offenders could be operating in the area.

Miss Adams was last seen at about 10pm on Tuesday when she left her partner near the Freemasons Tavern in Victoria Street.

She is thought to have been heading into town to work as a prostitute.

Her disappearance comes two weeks to the day after Tania Nicol, 19, vanished in similar circumstances. It is believed the pair may have known one another.

Police are investigating the two cases separately but Detective Superintendent Andy Henwood is overseeing both inquiries to make sure no links between the two are missed.

He said: “We are very concerned for both girls. We are treating the investigations as separate at the moment but recognise the very distinct similarities between the investigations and are keeping an open mind in respect of linking them specifically.”

He said officers were keen to establish the routine of both girls and wanted to speak to anyone who knew them who may be able to provide details of their backgrounds.

He said police would also be speaking to other prostitutes and known or convicted kerb crawlers to see if they could help with inquiries.

Prostitutes are being warned to take extra precautions, to tell each other who they are with and where they are going and to look out for one another.

Police have also researched national databases to see if any women have disappeared in similar circumstances elsewhere in the country but so far this had produced no new leads.

Colleagues in neighbouring forces have also been consulted but no other prostitutes are thought to have gone missing elsewhere in East Anglia.

n. Do you feel concerned by the disappearances? Do you know either of the girls? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or email eveningstar.co.uk

GEMMA Adams was last seen in the Bramford Road area, near Victoria Street at about 10pm on Tuesday.

She left her partner and headed into town, where she is thought to have been going to work as a prostitute.

The 25-year-old of Blenheim Road, Ipswich failed to return home at her normal time of 2am and her partner reported her missing at 2.55am.

Gemma is white, 5ft 2in, of slim build with long blonde hair and she a spotty complexion.

She was last seen wearing a black waterproof waist length jacket with a hood and a zip up the front, light blue jeans with studs on the pockets, a red top and white and chrome Nike trainers.

She has several gold earrings in each ear, silver rings on both hands, and she wears a black watch. She was also carrying a black handbag.

Anyone with information about Gemma's disappearance should call Suffolk police on 01473 613538 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

THERE have been no confirmed sightings of Tania Nicol since she left her home in Woolverstone Close at 10pm on October 31.

The 19-year-old is also thought to have been heading into town to work as a prostitute.

She was reported missing at 10.45pm the following day and there have been unconfirmed sightings of her in the red light area on the night of her disappearance.

Officers also spent yesterday undertaking an extensive search of the teenager's home address in the hope of finding clues as to her whereabouts.

She is described as mixed race (white European and black African), 5ft 2in and of slim build with shoulder length light brown hair, brown eyes and a spotty complexion.

The last time she was seen by her mother she was wearing a black jacket, blue jeans length and high heeled shoes.

Anyone with information about Tania's disappearance should call Suffolk police on 01473 613588 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.