Sewers beneath the resort where Madeleine McCann disappeared can be opened by any workman in Portugal – but remain largely unchecked by investigators.
The drains, which could have been used to secrete a body, are accessible via manholes across Praia da Luz, the town from which Maddie vanished in 2007.
And the heavy lids that guard against intruders are readily lifted by tools available to any workman, according to sources in the Portuguese town.
Yet the sewers, which provide passage to the coast – as well as nearby scrubland, have only been subjected to limited police searches.
Reports from 2014, when Operation Grange sent Brit cops to search Praia da Luz for Maddie, say just three manholes were opened.
Daily Star Online visited one manhole at the Operation Grange dig site accompanied by a local with knowledge of the case.
He told us: "There are rungs on each side so that people can go down these and do whatever they need to do.
"It’s normal to raise the manholes with a special tool, but I’m fairly confident any workman in Portugal had that capability."
And though it may seem obvious, our source says he has "no reason whatsoever to believe" all the drains were lifted and looked down.
He said: "There has been very, very limited searching down the drains. It’s as simple as that. If you look at them all, there’s lots and lots of them."
The manhole at the Operation Grange dig site is just a few minutes walk from where a critical potential Maddie sighting took place on Rua da Escola Primaria.
But our source says it’s just one of many potential hiding places nearby – with “hundreds or thousands of officers” needed to check them all.
"It’s all rough like this around Luz and the idea that you can search everything thoroughly is a nonsense," he told Daily Star Online.
Since she vanished there’s been no concrete proof of the fate of Madeleine McCann – though sightings around the world have been reported.
One witness claimed she saw Maddie in Morocco, others as far away as New Zealand, but the McCanns are convinced she remained near Praia da Luz.
Whatever the case, police say the case can still be cracked, announcing they were pursuing new leads in time for the 10th anniversary of her disappearance on May 3.
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/617286/madeleine-mccann-maddie-sewers-tunnels-drains-praia-da-luz-portugal
The drains, which could have been used to secrete a body, are accessible via manholes across Praia da Luz, the town from which Maddie vanished in 2007.
And the heavy lids that guard against intruders are readily lifted by tools available to any workman, according to sources in the Portuguese town.
Yet the sewers, which provide passage to the coast – as well as nearby scrubland, have only been subjected to limited police searches.
Reports from 2014, when Operation Grange sent Brit cops to search Praia da Luz for Maddie, say just three manholes were opened.
Daily Star Online visited one manhole at the Operation Grange dig site accompanied by a local with knowledge of the case.
He told us: "There are rungs on each side so that people can go down these and do whatever they need to do.
"It’s normal to raise the manholes with a special tool, but I’m fairly confident any workman in Portugal had that capability."
And though it may seem obvious, our source says he has "no reason whatsoever to believe" all the drains were lifted and looked down.
He said: "There has been very, very limited searching down the drains. It’s as simple as that. If you look at them all, there’s lots and lots of them."
The manhole at the Operation Grange dig site is just a few minutes walk from where a critical potential Maddie sighting took place on Rua da Escola Primaria.
But our source says it’s just one of many potential hiding places nearby – with “hundreds or thousands of officers” needed to check them all.
"It’s all rough like this around Luz and the idea that you can search everything thoroughly is a nonsense," he told Daily Star Online.
Since she vanished there’s been no concrete proof of the fate of Madeleine McCann – though sightings around the world have been reported.
One witness claimed she saw Maddie in Morocco, others as far away as New Zealand, but the McCanns are convinced she remained near Praia da Luz.
Whatever the case, police say the case can still be cracked, announcing they were pursuing new leads in time for the 10th anniversary of her disappearance on May 3.
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/617286/madeleine-mccann-maddie-sewers-tunnels-drains-praia-da-luz-portugal
