http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-27659905
A 77-year-old man who has lived near the area of scrubland for 13 years told the BBC the latest search was "ridiculous".
"The police have been here before," said the man, who did not want to be named.
"We all helped search this area three or four days after it [Madeleine's disappearance] happened.
"I walk my dog every day and no one was digging holes."
The mayor of Praia da Luz, Victor Mata, said the timing of the search "couldn't be worse" and that villagers were being "punished" by the police activity.
He said: "With every search, it doesn't seem like we're going anywhere - we're going backwards."
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...seal-land-Portugal-prepare-start-digging.html
he first site to be excavated is ‎the size of at least three football pitches. The ground, which used to be used to grow cabbages, is hard and covered with bushes and thick grass.
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The land is said to be privately owned by a company run by Belmiro de Azevedo, a well known Portuguese entrepreneur, ranked by Forbes as the 605th richest person in the world and the 2nd richest in Portugal.
The new search operation in Praia da Luz, seven years after the disappearance of Madeleine, has provoked indignation among the local population.
One local restaurant owner in the resort said: 'There are tourists that even cancelled apartment rentals where they were going to spend holidays here when they heard about this police investigation.'
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ugal-prepare-start-digging.html#ixzz33UPhxOnr
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