Farmhouse razed in search for missing tot

POLICE searching for missing toddler Ben Needham on the Greek island of Kos have knocked down part of a farmhouse on the site where they are working.

A specialist team marked the ninth day of excavations near where the 21-month-old went missing in 1991 with the rapid demolition of a small extension to a building on the land where they are digging.

Before the excavator ripped down the roof and walls, Detective Inspector Jon Cousins told reporters his negotiations with the farmhouse owners had been successful but he acknowledged it was a difficult decision for them.

The officer thanked the family for their understanding. He said yesterday: “Discussions I’ve had with the family that own the farmhouse have resulted in the fact that at some stage early afternoon I will be dismantling the lower part of the farmhouse and clearing the ground around it – just making sure I haven’t missed any opportunities