did you delete that message on your phone or a web page? IMAP is synchronized so what you do n one device reflects on all of them

Thanks, Matt. The messages which are disappearing have not been deleted on any of my devices, they have just been opened in the inbox.

The strange thing is, when I search for an email in my "empty" inbox, the search facility will find it, but I cannot open it. Also, when I view my emails on the server via webmail, the inbox there is empty. I would really be grateful for any help in solving this problem. Thanks

What happens if you disable your anti virus? To diagnose problems with Thunderbird, try one of the following: *Restart Thunderbird with add-ons disabled (Thunderbird Safe Mode). On the Help menu, click on "Restart with Add-ons Disabled". If Thunderbird works like normal, there is an Add-on or Theme interfering with normal operations. You will need to re-enable add-ons one at a time until you locate the offender. *Restart the operating system in '''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safe_mode safe mode with Networking]'''. This loads only the very basics needed to start your computer while enabling an Internet connection. Click on your operating system for instructions on how to start in safe mode: [https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12376/windows-10-start-your-pc-in-safe-mode Windows 10], [http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/windows-startup-settings-safe-mode Windows 8], [http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/start-computer-safe-mode#start-computer-safe-mode=windows-7 Windows 7], [http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/start-computer-safe-mode#start-computer-safe-mode=windows-vista Windows Vista], [http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/boot_failsafe.mspx?mfr=true" Windows XP], [http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1564 OSX] ; If safe mode for the operating system fixes the issue, there's other software in your computer that's causing problems. Possibilities include but not limited to: AV scanning, virus/malware, background downloads such as program updates.