Ben Needham search: Mother 'in limbo and can't say goodbye'

The mother of Ben Needham feels "in limbo" and "can't say goodbye" after a renewed police search to find the missing toddler failed to find him.

A three-week search involving members of South Yorkshire Police on the Greek island of Kos - where Ben disappeared in 1991 - ended on Sunday.

Police are yet to find Ben while a full update from the latest update is set to take place on Monday.

Ben's mother, Kerry Needham, claimed she has now been urged by police to end her 25-year search.

But she insisted she can't say goodbye knowing her son is "still on that island somewhere".

Speaking to the Daily Mirror, Ms Needham, whose son disappeared after travelling to Kos with his mother and grandparents, said the latest results had left her "in limbo".

"They know he's dead but just can't find him. Police said it's time we ended our 25-year search", she said.

"They are right but I can't say goodbye knowing he's still on that island somewhere. I feel physically sick. I can't feel any worse than I do.

"He didn't leave Kos, he didn't walk away ... Somebody didn't take him, so he's here somewhere. They believe he is there but they can't dig in everyone's gardens or homes that have been built over the years.

"I want to tear up the whole island to find him".

The latest search operation was prompted by information that a digger driver, Konstantinos Barkas, may have been responsible for Ben's death, as he was clearing land near where the toddler had been playing on the day he vanished.

Mr Barkas is believed to have died from stomach cancer last year.

South Yorkshire Police said on Sunday: "The physical search of two sites on Kos, Greece, has formally come to an end.

"Work continues behind the scenes as officers begin to process the findings from each site".

During the search, officers accumulated more than 60 items of interest which will be brought back to the UK for examination.