Yahoo News Madeleine McCann: Search to continue until end of March after 'Met given £154,000 extra funding'
The search for Madeleine McCann is to continue after Scotland Yard was granted extra funding by the Home Office.
The Metropolitan Police has been given an additional £154,000 to continue the investigation.
As part of the funding, police officers have also been set a deadline of March to find significant new information.
It had been suggested earlier this week that the hunt for Madeleine – which has so far cost around £12m – would be shelved.
The probe, known as Operation Grange, could have been shut down next month without the new injection of cash.
It was launched six years ago after the Portuguese-led probe finished in 2008.
A Home Office spokesperson told Yahoo News UK: “Following an application from the Metropolitan Police, the Home Office has confirmed funding for Operation Grange until the end of March 2018.
“As with all applications, the resources required are reviewed regularly and careful consideration is given before any funding is allocated.”
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Madeleine was three years old when she vanished from an apartment in Praia de Luz, Portugal, in May 2007.
In the 10 years since, there have been a host of theories explaining for her disappearance, ranging from abduction by slave traders to the claim she walked off by accident.
Madeleine’s parents were named as official suspects by Portuguese police four months after the disappearance but were cleared in 2008. Portugal’s public prosecutor dropped the case due to a lack of evidence.
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