Madeleine McCann: Sniffer dogs used in scrubland

Sniffer dogs have been deployed in the scrubland area in Praia de Luz in the search for Madeliene. Picture: PA

British officers, accompanied by their Portuguese counterparts, were expected to examine the area in Praia da Luz on the Algarve until tomorrow but have applied to the judiciary to spend an extra seven days there.

It is not clear whether they will work over the weekend and nothing is expected to be carried out on Tuesday as it is a public holiday.

Today, two springer spaniels from South Wales Police were seen sniffing around a flat area of the scrubland that had been marked out with tape.

The dogs, called Muzzy and Tito, were then seen being doused with water by their handlers and draped in wet towels.

Yesterday, forensics officers were seen in an area which was previously hidden by undergrowth, while ground-penetrating radar equipment was used in another.

The area being searched, which is a few minutes’ walk from the Ocean Club resort apartment where Madeleine and her family were staying when she went missing in May 2007, saw officers focusing their investigations on a hole which had been previously covered by undergrowth.