Soil test could put suspect at Maddie search reservoir

Detectives compare dirt sample from Brueckner van

-  MARTIN FRICKER, GERARD COUZENS

POLICE probing Madeleine McCann's disappearance are testing soil samples to see if they match dirt found in their prime suspect's camper van.

Detectives believe they have a good chance of proving Christian Brueckner's VW T3 Westfalia was at Barragem do Arade reservoir in Portugal around the time the youngster went missing.

They are waiting for comparisons of samples already on file with earth taken from 2ft-deep bore holes made during a three-day hunt last month.

German prosecutors first connected Brueckner, 45, to the remote reservoir near Silves through photo clues that have not been made public.

And sources say proving the Germa visited Barragem do Arade in May 2007 could be pivotal to their case.