Kos landowner demands police stop Ben Needham search

The owner of the site where police are searching for Ben Needham has asked for the digging to stop, but officers have told Sky News work will continue unless they are ordered to quit by a court.

It emerged on Friday morning that the owner of the land around the old farmhouse on the island of Kos, where Ben was last seen 25 years ago, wanted investigators to cease their operation.

The landowner's lawyer told the Daily Mirror his client was "not happy" after visiting the site.

South Yorkshire police, who are leading the search for the Sheffield youngster, have insisted the dig will continue despite those concerns.

Lead investigator, Detective Inspector Jon Cousins, said he would seek judicial authority to search the land if permission was withdrawn.

"So far I have not had any contact from the magistrate to say that we must stop conducting the important work we are doing on site," he said.

"My priority is to ensure that disruption to the operation that my team are running remains at an absolute minimum.

"If magistrates' permission is withdrawn, it will be my intention to seek immediate judicial authority to search this area of land."

Detective Inspector Cousins had been on his way to update Ben Needham's mother Kerry on the ongoing operation when news of the land dispute broke.

He has now returned to Kos to try to negotiate with the landowner and his lawyers to allow the dig to continue.

On Thursday, police were forced to halt part of the excavation work after they unearthed an ancient burial site, dating back some 2,000 years.

Archaeologists have been brought in to examine the remains and once that work is complete, digging will resume there.

Ben Needham was playing outside the old farmhouse on 24 July 1991 when he vanished.

Over the years, most of the theories surrounding the toddler's disappearance have centred on abduction.

Detectives are now trying to determine whether Ben might have been accidentally crushed to death by a local digger driver, who had been clearing farmland at the time.

The driver, Konstantinos Barkas, died of cancer last year.

His death prompted a local man to contact police and offer the new information.