Ben Needham police demolish part of old farmhouse on Kos

Police searching for Ben Needham have demolished part of an old farmhouse near the spot where he was last seen, as they continue their hunt for clues in the 25-year mystery.

The toddler from Sheffield disappeared as he played outside the farmhouse on the Greek island of Kos on 24 July 1991.

South Yorkshire Police, along with Greek colleagues, have been excavating land around an old olive grove next to the farmhouse in a renewed search sparked by claims Ben might have been accidentally run over by a local digger driver, who panicked and hid his body.

The digger driver, Konstantinos Barkas, died of cancer late last year. A friend of Mr Barkas' came forward in the months after his death to offer the new information to police.

Detective Inspector Jon Cousins, who is leading the investigation, revealed that the family who own the farmhouse agreed to let the partial demolition to go ahead after a day of negotiations.

He told reporters at the scene of the search: "The family are clearly upset about what we're doing but they have very kindly agreed to allow us to do that and I am extremely grateful for that.

"It's going to be a distressing time for them. It's where many generations, including the current generation, were born and grew up. We've got to deal with it as sensitively as possible."

Investigators want to look around and under a relatively new extension which was added to the old farmhouse in the years after Ben disappeared.

Speaking before the demolition, Inspector Cousins said: " I will be dismantling the lower part of the farmhouse, including the ground around it, just making sure that I haven't missed any opportunity to get the answers that we require."

Officers looked at old press photographs and TV news footage which revealed the extension was not there in the summer of 1991.

"When you look at that, you can clearly see that that lower part of the building was not present at the time Ben disappeared. I've got to be sure that I've covered everything before we leave this area," Inspector Cousins said.

The excavation work entered its ninth day on Tuesday, with police continuing to work alongside a Greek archaeological team, brought in after officers discovered an ancient burial site, dating back around 2,000 years.

Inspector Cousins said: "We are continuing to work with the director of archaeology on Kos in relation to the ancient burial site discovered late last week.

"I am pleased with the support they are giving us. It's important we work alongside them and that work will be ongoing today. They're moving along very quickly so as not to cause any delay to what we are doing. "

Ben Needham's mother Kerry and other family members are being kept regularly informed about the progress of the investigation and have expressed their support and thanks to the police team on the island.

The latest stage of the renewed investigation follows extra Home Office funding, which was granted to South Yorkshire police last year.