Search for missing serviceman Corrie McKeague at rubbish dump called off

Police have called off the landfill search for missing RAF gunner Corrie McKeague - despite believing the serviceman's remains are somewhere on the sprawling site.

Suffolk Police Detective Superintendent Katie Elliott said officers sifted through 6,500 tonnes of waste in an unprecedented'' search for the 23-year-old, who disappeared following a night out in September.

Officers started searching the 48-hectare Milton landfill in March, convinced Mr McKeague had passed out in a bin collected by a refuse truck and dumped at the site.

But extensive searches have yielded no further trace of the serviceman.

Ms Elliott said: Our thoughts are with Corrie's family as we had hoped that this search would have provided them with the answers about what happened to him.

Sadly we have not found Corrie, or any trace of his clothing or mobile phone.''

Asked if she thought Mr McKeague was still on the landfill site, she replied: I do.''

Mr McKeague, from Fife in Scotland but based at Honington in Suffolk, vanished after a night out with friends in Bury St Edmunds 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).

Searching at the site was stood down on Friday afternoon. The investigation was estimated to have cost £1.2 million - Suffolk Police's total budget for the force is around £122 million.

Police have commissioned an independent review of the work completed since the start of the investigation to see if anything further can be done to trace Mr McKeague.

Ms Elliott, who said any new lines of inquiry would be pursued vigorously'', added:We have searched the whole area where we believed Corrie could be. We had compelling information that directed us to this area, however we haven't found Corrie and this is bitterly disappointing.

It's never been about money in this investigation.

We have searched the areas where we have information where that waste was deposited.

Beyond that it's very difficult to establish exactly where we would search for Corrie.''

Ms Elliott paid tribute to the officers sifting through the waste, with many needing hydration tablets as they worked in soaring temperatures in recent weeks.

She said: We have been absolutely committed to finding Corrie and none of us wanted to be in this position, where we are unable to provide the answer.

This has been one of the biggest and most complex searches of a landfill site in the country. This search process has been reviewed as it has been carried out and what we have learned and the expertise gathered during the search is now being called upon by other constabularies.''

Mr McKeague's girlfriend April Oliver announced last month that the missing serviceman had become a father with the birth of their daughter