Reported sighting of Madeleine in France

Gerry and Kate McCann have reacted with caution to reports of a sighting of their daughter Madeleine in southern France.

A Dutch tourist, Melissa Fiering, has claimed she spotted the four-year-old in a service station near Montpellier on Friday.

But an official for French police said they had examined CCTV footage from the restaurant and determined that it was not Madeleine.

The couple's spokesman said: "Kate and Gerry understand that Interpol are tonight liaising with the French police, Leicestershire police and the Policia Judiciaria (the Portuguese police leading the inquiry) to establish the facts."

"If, as reported initially in the Dutch media, there is CCTV footage to confirm the possible sighting by Melissa Fiering, then Kate and Gerry would obviously wish to view that material as a matter of priority."

There have been various reports of sightings of the toddler since she disappeared from Praia de Luz in Portugal in May.

Ms Fiering told a Dutch newspaper she was sure the girl was Madeleine because she looked up startled when she called her name.

She said the man accompanying her bundled the little girl in the car and drove away before police could arrive.

The teenager said she was convinced the girl was Madeleine because of her eyes.

She claimed to have seen the distinctive blemish in her iris.

© Independent Television News Limited 2008. All rights reserved.