POLICE INVESTIGATING THE disappearance of Madeleine McCann have finished their search of a garden in Germany and discovered the remains of a cellar at the site, local media reported.

Prosecutors said the search in Hanover was linked to a murder investigation against a 43-year-old man but could not comment further.

Earlier, prosecutors did not say what exactly the investigators were looking for.

A spokeswoman for the Braunschweig prosecutor’s office said on Tuesday that the investigation on the site was connected to their inquiry regarding Madeleine.

Last night, Newspaper Bild reported that the foundations of a garden house were found on the site and, among the remains, a hidden cellar room was found.

Madeleine was three when she went missing while on holiday with her family in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on 3 May 2007.

German investigators believe Christian Brueckner killed her soon after abducting her from a holiday apartment in the resort.

Brueckner is in jail in Germany for drug dealing, and is appealing against a conviction for the 2005 rape of a 72-year-old woman, also at Praia da Luz.

He was last registered as living in Germany in the city of Braunschweig, which is about 40 miles from Hanover.

Between 2013 and 2015, the suspect spent time in both Portugal and Germany.

He ran a kiosk in Braunschweig and also lived in Hanover for several years, the dpa agency reported.