April Cops: 'We'll Search On Until Christmas'

The search for missing April Jones could continue until Christmas and beyond, police have said.

Major search efforts to find the five-year-old schoolgirl are ongoing, and Dyfed Powys Police say the hunt may not end for months.

"We said goodbye to 150 officers this morning and they've been replaced by another 150 specialists," Superintendent Ian John said, speaking from April's home town of Machynlleth.

"Numbers may fluctuate a bit on a daily basis, but whilst we still have viable lines of inquiry, we will continue to search.

"We could still be here at Christmas or the new year, we could be finished in two weeks."

He added: "The numbers involved in searching are always under review.

"Hopefully we will find April soon. We are not going anywhere until we have done our job.

"We are here for the long-term if we need to be."

He said that specialist searches from 16 separate police forces were helping in the ongoing hunt for April.

They were backed up by fire service urban area search and rescue teams, hazardous area search teams and teams from the ambulance service.

Mountain rescue teams were brought back in over the weekend as different terrain was encountered and closely searched.

Specialists capable of working in confined areas such as pot holes, caves and mine shafts are used when needed.

Hazards for which the experts need to be prepared include encountering gases such as methane which have built up.

While a myriad of tunnels and shafts are explored underground, commercial volunteers are helping with aerial searches.

Private planes full of technology otherwise unavailable to the police have been helping to spot promising areas to search.

Sonar technology and specialist equipment which can pinpoint heat signatures from the air are being used. The data it produces is closely examined and used to target specific areas to search.

April was last seen on October 1 on the Bryn-y-Gog estate where she lived.

The youngster, who suffers from cerebral palsy, was out late on her bike as a treat for getting a good school report earlier that day.

Mark Bridger, 46, from Machynlleth, has been charged with April's murder and abduction.