Madeleine 'sighting' is ruled out

The search for Madeleine McCann has spread to Belgium

A possible recent sighting of Madeleine McCann in Brussels has been ruled out by the Belgian authorities.

The father of a young blonde girl whose image was captured on CCTV says it was his daughter with her nanny.

There have been around 100 sightings of Madeleine in Belgium since she went missing in Praia da Luz in Portugal in May last year.

The police inquiry into her disappearance was shelved in July after 14 months.

Belgian sensitivity

The BBC's Chris Mason said there were a few other potential sightings of Madeleine being looked into in Belgium, but it is not thought that any represent a strong lead.

Belgian officials suggest that people in that country are very sensitive to the case because of the notorious crimes committed by paedophile Marc Dutroux, who was convicted of child murder, kidnap and rape four years ago.

Police sources had earlier played down the significance of a tip-off during the investigation into Madeleine's disappearance that suggested she may have been kidnapped by a Belgian paedophile ring.

The Metropolitan Police got the information from an informant earlier this year and passed it onto Portuguese counterparts who then sought the help of the Belgian police.

Parents press on

Documents in the police files suggest that officers in all three countries found it difficult to pursue the lead because of a lack of detailed information.

Madeline's parents, Kate and Gerry, had their status as official suspects, or "arguidos", dropped at the end of July.

The 11,000 pages of evidence from the Portuguese inquiry were then released to the McCanns when the inquiry ended.

The couple have now hired private detectives to continue the search for their daughter, who was three when she disappeared in May 2007.