Madeleine McCann investigators finish search of allotment in Germany ‘after finding secret cellar’

Police investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann have reportedly finished their search of a garden in Germany after discovering the remains of a cellar at the site .

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

Police used excavators, sniffer dogs, shovels and rakes to investigate the area of land . Officers put up two tents and continued to dig even further into the ground after they had cut down trees and bushes earlier this week.

The foundations of a garden house were found on the site and, among the remains, a hidden cellar room was found before the search was brought to an end, newspaper Bild reported.

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

German authorities last month revealed that they had identified a 43-year-old citizen as a suspect in the case.

They believe the suspect, named as Christian B, killed her soon after abducting her from a holiday apartment in the resort.

He is currently in prison in Germany. It is believed he lived on the allotment near Hannover the same year Madeleine went missing.