Police investigating disappearance of Madeline McCann to search reservoir in Portugal

Police investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann will begin a search of a reservoir in Portugal today.

Officers are beginning a two-day investigation at a reservoir around 30 miles away from where the toddler disappeared in 2007.

The area’s said to have been visited regularly by the main suspect – a German man called Christian B.

Jim Gamble, from the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command, says he’s hoping to see a targeted search operation.

“I’m hoping that is specific areas that they are looking at. That would be indicative of either a new analysis of old information giving a better focus, or indeed that they have some new leads.”

Simon Harding, a former investigative officer at the Met Police, explains why detectives might be going over old ground.

“Perhaps they want it to be done so that they are 100% satisfied that this area that has been known to have been frequented by Christian B has been done satisfactorily, and where they can hopefully say that she is not in that particular area.”