South Yorkshire Police have been given £450,000 by the Government to fund the search for Ben Needham, the toddler who went missing in Greece almost 25 years ago.

The force had been granted £700,000 by the Home Office last January to commit further resources to the investigation, but that money would have run out by the end of this month.

Alan Billings, South Yorkshire's Police and Crime Commissioner, has said the latest instalment will allow work to continue until October - enabling the team "to be strengthened with experienced detectives who will follow up new leads".

Ben was 21 months old when he disappeared on 24 July 1991 after travelling to the Greek island of Kos with his mother and grandparents.

He would now be 26 years old, and there have been several possible sightings and a plethora of theories about what happened to the youngster.

"I fully support South Yorkshire Police in their ongoing pursuit of the facts," Dr Billings said.

"They have worked hard in facilitating the Greek authorities' investigation into Ben's disappearance. They have unearthed many new witnesses and have been able to rule out other lines of inquiry.

"Along with the Chief Constable, I remain committed to finding Ben. We remain hopeful that this will lead to a resolution one way or another."

Last May, Ben's family appeared alongside police on Greek television to make an emotional appeal for information - prompting dozens of calls.

His mother, Kerry Needham, had said: "Please end the pain my family are suffering. I know he's out there somewhere, please call the detectives and put an end to it."

During the broadcast, she described the heartbreak she had felt when DNA tests carried out on young men who had come forward to the police were unsuccessful.

In 2012, land was excavated near the farmhouse where Ben vanished, but no trace of the little boy was found.

The Home Office's Special Grant Funding was first requested by South Yorkshire Police in order to follow up leads that Ben's family believed had never been properly investigated.