British detectives arrived in Portugal overnight to prepare for a new phase in the investigation into Madeleine McCann's disappearance.

Earlier this week, they were given permission to dig at sites close to where the then three-year-old vanished in the holiday resort Praia da Luz in the Algarve in 2007.

The arrival of the Scotland Yard officers marks a significant new phase of co-operation between British and Portuguese detectives. 

Martin Brunt, speaking from the police investigators' base in Faro, described the move as a "breakthrough" in the investigation.

"It appears that there is information that was given to the Portuguese over the past seven years that indicated that there might be evidence to be found at certain locations.

"We think one of them may be the beach area and another may be around the apartments where Madeleine was last seen.

"It is a breakthrough and it really will launch a new phase in the investigation because this will be the first time that we will see Scotland Yard officers on the ground, not just talking to Portuguese police but working with them in the search for perhaps more tangible evidence."