British holiday makers who were in Portugal at the time Madeleine McCann was snatched from her apartment are being asked to send their pictures to police in case they have caught the abductor on camera.

The authorities are hoping that facial recognition software they use to find people on websites will be able to spot Madeleine and give them valauble information about her movements in the hours after she was taken.

They hope that out of all the pictures taken by families abroad just one will be the “missing part of the jigsaw”.

Jim Gamble, Chief Executive of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre, said that the latest technology will allow them to “build a larger intelligence picture”.

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“The CEOP Centre has already applied facial recognition software in our wider work and now by taking in pictures from the public we can move the investigation forward – looking for people who might seem out of place or behaving strangely.

“No matter how small or insignificant the information may seem to you, it could be the missing part of the jigsaw so let us decide if it is important.

“We are looking for anyone who was at the Ocean Club Resort or surrounding area in the two weeks leading up to Madeleine disappearance on Thursday 3 May who have photographs that might help our work.”

He said that he did not want scenery shots or family shots “but look at your prints and see if there are, for instance, people in the background of the picture that at first you may not have noticed.

“These are the pictures we want and we want you to upload them onto a new website.

“Alternatively if you are not sure then go into any photographic shop and ask them to help you upload them onto the site. You will also find a basic 'how to' guide on the site to help you.

“We will then assess those pictures – at a rate of 1,000 pictures per hour – so that over a quick period of time we will pass meaningful information to the Portuguese authorities.”

The appeal was launched today by the UK law enforcement agencies assisting the Portuguese authorities – Leicestershire Constabulary, Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), CEOP and the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA).

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