Fresh police searches are due to start tomorrow near the spot where was last seen. police are believed to have requested the searches, which are expected to take place between Praia da Luz - where the three-year-old vanished on May 3, 2007 - and a house near the holiday resort where principal suspect Christian Brueckner used to live. They will be the first in for more than two years following a near-week-long operation involving Portuguese, German and police officers at a remote dam a 40-minute-drive from Praia da Luz.

The searches in May 2023 at Arade Dam, described at the time as Brueckner's "little paradise", came to nothing. They were the first major searches in Portugal for Madeleine McCann in nine years following an earlier June 2014 operation when British police were given permission to do digs in Praia da Luz that involved sniffer dogs trained in detecting bodies and ground-penetrating radar.

The Scotland Yard digs were linked to the leading UK police theory at the time Madeleine died during a break-in and burglars dumped her body nearby.

They also failed to produce any evidence pointing to the missing youngster's whereabouts.

In a smaller operation in July 2020 Portuguese police and firefighters searched three wells for Madeleine's body but failed to find any trace of her.

A well-placed Portuguese source confirmed this week's operation was scheduled get underway tomorrow but said some preparation work may take place beforehand.

He said: "They will be land searches only. The main objective is to look for any signs of Madeleine's body."

Portuguese police are understood to have agreed to cooperate with the search after it was approved by the country's judicial authorities following a formal request from German cops and prosecutors.

The search is expected to last around three days unless anything relevant emerges.

Brueckner remains in prison in Germany where he is serving a seven year term for rape.

The 48-year-old convicted paedophile faces having his hopes of being released from jail in September scuppered after reportedly being accused of new offences against prison guards behind bars.