Gardaí will begin a new search tomorrow for Fiona Pender, a 25-year-old pregnant woman who disappeared 18 years ago.

A search of an area outside Portlaoise is expected to get underway tomorrow and will continue over the weekend.

It follows a report in October that officers are close to making an arrest in the case, after new information passed on to them by police in another jurisdiction.

Ms Pender disappeared from her residence in Tullamore, County Offaly on August 22 1996. She was pregnant at the time. 

A suspect was identified but charges were never brought. The man has since moved abroad.