Fears for safety of missing Greymouth woman Barbara Ann Quinn

Missing: 41-year-old West Coast woman Barbara Ann Quinn. Photo / Supplied

Friends of a Greymouth mother-of-three who went missing after popping home for lunch yesterday are today fearing for her safety.

A large police hunt is underway today for Barbara Ann Quinn, 41, who was reported missing last night.

Detective Senior Sergeant Kirsten Norton says police have "serious concerns" and is appealing for urgent sightings of Quinn, who is described as 163cm tall and of medium build.

Officers are also looking for her white Mazda Axella hatchback, registration KYC486.

A police spokeswoman has declined to further comment on the nature of the concerns, saying, "It is an operational matter."

Worried friends say her disappearance is out of character.

Locals believe that Quinn, who works in an office in Greymouth, went home from work around lunchtime yesterday and hasn't been seen since.

Her social media page appears to be down.

Quinn is understood to have recently moved from her Power Rd property in the Greymouth suburb of Karoro to Shakespeare St.

Two police cars have been seen outside the Shakespeare St house today.

Quinn is well-known in the tight-knit West Coast town as a quiet, kind, and hard-working woman.

"It's really strange. We're all really worried for Barb," one local said.

Police urge anyone with information to call 111.