3,100 Tonnes Of Waste Searched In Hunt For Missing Corrie

9 May 2017, 18:11

Police have combed through more than 3,100 tonnes of waste at a landfill site in the hunt for missing RAF gunner Corrie McKeague, with the search to continue into an eleventh week.

Suffolk Police had originally estimated it would take a team of eight trained search officers up to 10 weeks to sift through rubbish up to eight metres deep (26ft), covering around 920 square metres (9,902sq ft) of the dump in Milton, near Cambridge.

The search is now in its tenth week, and a force spokesman said it would continue for ''at least a further week''.

The search of the originally identified area of the landfill site has been completed.

''However, towards the edges of the area it has also been noticed that the waste may have naturally shifted from the place where it was originally deposited and the search has been extended into these areas which may still hold the answer to Corrie's disappearance,'' said the Suffolk Police spokesman.

''Throughout the search, officers have found material that have indicated they are in the right area - finding waste that was clearly identifiable as being from Bury St Edmunds, and within the right time frame.''

Mr McKeague, who is 23 years old and from Fife, vanished after a night out with friends in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, on September 24 2016.

A bin lorry was seen on CCTV near Brentgovel Street in the town around the time Mr McKeague was last seen, and it took a route which appeared to coincide with the movements of his phone.

The bin lorry linked to the disappearance of Mr McKeague was initially thought to have collected an 11kg (1st 10lb) load, but police said it was later found to be more than 100kg (15st 10lb).

His mother Nicola Urquhart has said this could ''only mean one thing''.

Police said the search of the landfill site had cost more than £1 million to date, and officers were continuing to gather information about Mr McKeague's lifestyle and background.

''The officers carrying out the search have been working extremely hard in difficult circumstances - with the nature of the waste being searched through, safety considerations, the weather and the depth of the search required presenting a number of daily challenges,'' the police spokesman said.

''Throughout the search Corrie has very much been in the forefront of officers' minds.''