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Madeleine McCann search switches to new area at Praia da Luz Madeleine McCann search switches to new area at Praia da Luz
(about 2 hours later)
Police investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann have cordoned off a new area of land near where the youngster went missing seven years ago. Police investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann have cordoned off a new area of rough scrubland off a road leading out of Praia da Luz.
British police are expected to join their Portuguese counterparts on the patch of scrubland later on Wednesday as the search for clues in Praia da Luz on the Algarve enters a second week. The area is roughly a third of the site searched for seven consecutive days until last Sunday and is protected by armed Portuguese GNR police officers. British and Portuguese detectives are focusing on one particular area the size of a tennis court.
Police tape was stretched around the new area early on Wednesday morning with a number of armed local police on guard at intervals along it. With the temperature expected to climb to 30C (32F), British police were seen with two spaniels scouring the smaller site under the watchful eye of Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood.
The new area is on the outskirts of the small resort and is more overgrown than the site searched last week, with long grass, trees and bushes. The two dogs spent about an hour on the site.
Specialist teams spent last week investigating an area of land a few minutes walk from the Ocean Club resort where Madeleine was staying with her family in May 2007 when she disappeared aged three. About 10 officers focused on two small areas and there was some digging taking place.
The operation was extended after British police applied to the judiciary to spend an extra seven days in the resort but no work has been carried out so far this week due to a Portuguese national holiday. Across from the site, graffiti in big red letters has been scrawled across a wall, stating: "Polícia inglesa estupidos" (stupid English police) with Madeleine's name written alongside it, but spelt as "Meddi".
Graffiti has been scrawled on a wall overlooking the new site accusing British police of being stupid. Faro PJ police director, Mota Carmo, who spent most of last week on the first search site, had not arrived as work began, but at least two Portuguese detectives were seen searching the terrain alongside about a dozen of their British counterparts.
The message in large red letters reads: "Policia inglesa estupidos." Police sources had earlier told the Guardian the new searches are not expected to last beyond Friday and that a third site has been earmarked to be looked at this week.
The new operation follows an extensive search last week near the apartment from where Madeleine went missing that lasted for seven days but concluded without any finds of relevance, police sources said.
Sources close to the case confirmed on Sunday that they were preparing to question "several suspects" on the Met's behalf. They did not disclose a date for the planned interrogation, stressing that this would not take place during the current searches.
The suspects are all believed to live locally and are "mostly Portuguese", Guardian sources said.