Police ‘optimistic’ over canal search for girl last seen in 1957

The detective leading the search to find the remains of a schoolgirl who disappeared more than six decades ago is optimistic he can “bring closure to her family”, as officers focus on a new “high priority” stretch of canal.

Moira Anderson was 11 when she disappeared from her home in Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, in February 1957 while running an errand for her grandmother.

In 2014 prosecutors took the unprecedented step of announcing local bus driver and convicted paedophile Alexander Gartshore, who died in 2006, would have faced prosecution for the schoolgirl’s murder if he were still alive.

A reinvestigation set up in 2013 has now identified six potential deposition sites in Coatbridge, with a 170m area of Monklands canal the number one area of interest.

Specialists in sonar scanning, groundpenetrating radar and magnetometry are to scour the area over the next two weeks to identify any “anomalies”, which divers will then investigate.

Detective Superintendent Pat Campbell said teams will be looking for skeletal remains as well as any jewellery or clothing that may have survived. He said: “There’s various strands that make this area high priority for us just now.

“We remain optimistic that we can recover her remains and bring closure to her family, but it will be challenging and we’ve explained that to both Moira’s sisters (Janet and Marjory.”