A search team investigating the disappearance of RAF gunner Corrie McKeague have trawled through 60 tonnes of waste at a landfill site as his mother warned it would be “just a matter of time” until his remains are found.

Police have warned that it could take up to 10 weeks for the team of eight search officers to sift through vast swathes of rubbish at the site in Milton, near Cambridge.

However, a spokesman for Suffolk police say the force is “confident” he will be found.

It comes as refuse vehicle, seized shortly after Mr McKeague disappeared from Bury St Edmunds after a night out with friends, was found to be carrying a heavier load than originally thought.

The lorry, which had been due to collect a 11kg load, has since been found to have contained a haul weighing more than 100kg.