British police have started searching an area of scrubland close to where Madeleine McCann went missing in Portugal seven years ago.
Officers are thought to be using ground-penetrating radar equipment to probe the ground, looking for disturbed earth.
The hilly area in the resort of Praia da Luz on the Algarve is being guarded day and night by armed local police with dogs, and a large yellow-and-white cordon was put in place ahead of the search for clues about Madeleine, who disappeared in May 2007.
A number of small tents have been erected inside the cordon, thought to be where officers are concentrating their efforts.
About six Portuguese police vans could be seen on top of a large mound in the middle of the scrubland, which overlooks the sea.
A number of officers from both the UK and Portugal could also be seen in discussions on top of the slope, which is covered in small bushes.
The land, a few minutes’ walk from the Ocean Club resort apartment where Madeleine was staying with her family, has been searched before.
Scotland Yard, which is carrying out its own investigation into what happened to the youngster, refused to comment on British officers being at the scene and said the force was "not prepared to give a running commentary" about the case.
PA