Fears are growing for a psychology student who vanished nearly a week ago after boarding a bus from her campus.   

Vittoria Figueiredo-Barreto, 30, who is Brazilian, was visiting the UK and had been staying in the Southend area while she considered the option of completing a doctorate degree here.

She was last seen at the University of Essex campus in Wivenhoe on Tuesday.

Vittoria got on the number 87 bus in Boundary Road just after 1pm and got off 30 minutes later in Bellfield Avenue, Brightlingsea.

Police also believe she may have been in the Brightlingsea Harbour area that evening.

Vittoria was last seen wearing a dark coat, a blue turtleneck jumper, light blue jeans and black trainers. She was carrying a white shoulder bag with the words ‘people over profit’.

Vittoria Figueiredo-Barreto, 30, had been staying in the Southend area but was last seen at the University of Essex campus in Wivenhoe on Tuesday

Two CCTV stills show Vittoria got on the number 87 bus in Boundary Road just after 1pm and got off 30 minutes later in Bellfield Avenue, Brightlingsea

Detective Superintendent Anna Granger said: ‘Vittoria’s been missing for almost a week now and every day that she’s missing our concerns for her grow.

‘We have been studying CCTV, we’ve got officers going to door-to-door in the area she was last seen, and we’ve been speaking to her friends and family.

‘Vittoria, if you’re reading this, please get in touch. We just need to know you’re ok.

‘I need anyone living or working in the Brightlingsea area to check their CCTV, doorbell or dash cam footage to see if they may have captured her movements.’

If you have any information or have seen Vittoria, please call 999 quoting incident 622 of 4 March.