Corrie Mckeague: Extra three weeks to search landfill

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Corrie MckeagueImage source, Suffolk Constabulary
Image caption,

Corrie McKeague is described as white, 5ft 10ins tall, of medium build, with short light brown hair

The search for missing airman Corrie Mckeague is to continue at a landfill site for a further three weeks, police have said.

The 23-year-old RAF gunner disappeared after a night out with friends in Bury St Edmunds in September.

Despite a high-profile missing persons campaign, detectives revealed in March he may have ended up in a bin lorry.

About 3,500 tonnes of waste has been searched at a landfill site at Milton, Cambridgeshire, in the last 10 weeks.

In a statement, Suffolk Police described the operation as "so unusual".

Image caption,

It took several weeks to prepare the landfill before search teams could move in

Officers have now pinpointed rubbish dating from around the time Mr Mckeague went missing and waste from the Bury St Edmunds area.

A force spokesman said: "In view of the dates on items still being found and advice from officers on the ground... it is likely the search will continue for at least three further weeks to ensure that the area holding waste from the relevant period is comprehensively examined."

The search would then be taken "week-by-week", he added.