Watch live: Madeleine McCann investigators scour abandoned farmhouse near Christian Brueckner home in Portugal

Watch live as investigators searching for Madeleine McCann scour an abandoned farmhouse near the home of prime suspect Christian Brueckner.

German and Portuguese police are in the municipality of Lagos, which sits next to Praia da Luz, the town in the Algarve where Madeline went missing 18 years ago.

The search will cover 20 properties, cisterns, wells and ruins, according to sources close to the investigation.

Investigators will reportedly look at trenches dug near the resort at the time of Madeleine’s disappearance and are also using ground-penetrating radar to see if it can find any traces of the young British girl.

Madeleine vanished from an apartment complex on 3 May, 2007 whilst on holiday with her family, prompting a Europe-wide police investigation.

Investigators from Germany have taken the lead in the case since identifying 48-year-old Brueckner - who is currently in prison for a separate crime - as their prime suspect in 2020.

Brueckner has repeatedly denied any involvement in the three-year-old’s disappearance.

A spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police said: “We are aware of the searches being carried by the BKA (German federal police) in Portugal as part of their investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

“The Metropolitan Police Service is not present at the search, we will support our international colleagues where necessary.”