DETECTIVES have finished their first dig for Derek Saville - and nothing has been found. Attention now shifts to a second site, just a few feet away where a new dig has begun.

But already it seems that the mystery of Saville's disappearence more than 50 years ago will linger for a lot longer yet - if it is ever solved at all.

Work stopped at site one about an hour ago, soon afterwards Detective Inspector David Llewellin said initial analysis showed nothing of interest.

The trench was dug some six feet down into a field at Nupton, near Canon Pyon, where new evidence led police to believe Saville may have been buried beneath a culvert pipe.

Sections of the pipe were removed and the water that ran through it diverted and dammed, giving the team a clear "crime scene" in which to work.

The search is being directed by Professor John Hunter, one of Britain's leading forensic archeologists.

Once the digging work is done, forensic teams will sift through for bones or other trace evidence.