Detectives investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann from a Portuguese holiday resort in 2007 have received almost 1,000 phone calls and emails from the public after their fresh appeal on Crimewatch for information.

A number of people have provided police with the same name of an individual who they believe matches the description of a man seen carrying a young child away from the resort in Praia da Luz towards the beach area at what detectives now believe is a crucial time the night Madeleine vanished.

The publication of efits of the man has led to a huge response from the public, with a number of people providing the same name for the individual, it is understood. Police say among those who have contacted them are tourists who were at the resort at the time of Madeleine's disappearance, but have never spoken to investigators before.

Police are also pursuing links to a sharp rise in burglaries in the area, and bogus charity workers approaching individuals on the resort. Efits of a fair-haired man said to have been seen "lurking around" the apartment have also been issued. The man could be Dutch or German.

Appeals are to be made in the coming days in Germany, the Netherlands and Ireland.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/oct/15/madeleine-mccann-same-name-efit-appeal-crimewatch