Ben Needham: Mother posts emotional message to mark 31st birthday of missing Sheffield toddler

The mother of missing Sheffield toddler Ben Needham has posted an emotional social media message on the day he would have marked his 31st birthday.

Kerry Needham, writing on the Help Find Ben Needham Facebook page dedicated to the search for the 21-month-old, described the day as "heart wrenching" and added "I will never stop looking for you Ben."

Ben went missing on July 24 1991 on the Greek island of Kos, where his family had moved earlier in the year. He was playing outside a remote farmhouse which his grandad Eddie was helping to renovate when he disappeared. There has been no trace of him since.

Excavations of land around the farmhouse in 2012 and 2016 found a scrap of sandal leather and a toy car which it is thought Ben had been playing with, but no physical evidence .

South Yorkshire Police believe he died on the day he went missing , and was buried after an accident involving a digger.

Ben's mother Kerry wants more potential sites to be explored but there are no plans to carry out further work on the island.

Ben was just 21 months old when he disappeared, and the family are desperate to find an answer to what happened. They still believe there are people on the Greek island of Kos who know the truth, and have continually asked for them to come forward.