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The police investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann will continue for another six months, it has been reported.

The Met Police probe has been handed another £154,000 by the Home Office, according to the Daily Telegraph.

It comes on the eve of the 11th anniversary of the day Madeleine vanished in Portugal.

Local police ended their investigation in 2009.

Operation Grange, which was launched in 2011, is still pursuing several lines of inquiry with detectives regularly travelling to the Algarve to chase down leads.

The task force was scaled back three years ago but funding has continued every six monhs to keep the inquiry going.

(Image: Reuters)

Details of the latest funds emerged in a parliamentary written answer from Baroness Williams of Trafford, a Home Office minister.

The answer stated: "An application from the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) for further Special Grant funding for Operation Grange for 01 April – 30 September 2018 has been received.

"This is for an amount similar to the £154,000 granted for the period of 01 October 2017 – 31 March 2018.

"The MPS has been briefed that its latest application will be granted."

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It comes as Kate and Gerry McCann posted a heartfelt message on the eve of the 11th anniversary of Madeleine's disappearance.

The said they cling onto a glimmer of hope that "their little girl" who they describe as "a real person" could still be alive.

And in a message to mark another painful milestone they vow: "We will do whatever it takes to find her."

The couple said "hope and perseverance remain" as they face 11 years since their daughter went missing.

In a post on the official Find Madeleine Campaign Facebook page the pair from Rothley, Leicestershire, reveal that "work goes on" to find her.

Three-year-old Madeleine vanished during a family holiday in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May 2007.

(Image: Facebook)

She disappeared from a bedroom at a complex apartment after being left sleeping alone with her younger twin siblings while her parents were dining in a nearby tapas restaurant with friends.

Former GP Kate, 50, and heart doctor Gerry, 49, said continued support from family, friends and the public was “a real tonic and a boost to our spirits.”

In a joint message they have written: "Thank you to everyone who continues to support us and wish us, especially Madeleine, well.

"After 11 years such warmth and persisting solidarity is truly remarkable.

"We couldn’t bear for Madeleine to be forgotten or become just a ‘story.’

"Thank you so much for staying with us on this mission."

(Image: Facebook)

(Image: PA) (Image: AFP)

Madeleine would now be aged 14, nearly 15.

Her parents admit: "It gets hard to know what to say or write as each anniversary of Madeleine’s abduction approaches then passes.

"Life is full and busy which helps but Madeleine is still missing and is dearly missed."

The McCanns remain extremely grateful to Scotland Yard who have actively been searching for their daughter for the past seven years.

(Image: PA)

They said information 'continues to come in incredible as it may seem' after so long, adding that they are grateful.

Kate and Gerry are expected to join well wishers to remember Madeleine tomorrow night during a poignant prayer service to mark the anniversary.

They are due to take part in the simple outdoor gathering in their home village to pray for their girl.

Crowds of supporters, family, friends and locals will assemble at the war memorial where a lantern - a beacon of hope - still shines brightly around the clock for the world’s most famous missing child.