THE police probe into the disappearance of Margaret Fleming is now focusing on removing items from the house where she lived.

White-suited forensics officers have been taking items from the isolated Inverkip cottage and placing them within two large yellow metal storage containers which are located in the garden.

Officers also appeared to be either marking out or measuring ground at the property.

Asked if a dig was being prepared, a Police Scotland spokesman said:

“There is no excavation work ongoing, although officers continue to search the area where Margaret was last seen.”

It is understood that the interior of the house was in a state of disarray when police were called to the property more than five weeks ago.

The spokeswoman said: “The metal containers are in the garden in order for items to be removed from the house and to allow greater access for the search within the premises.

“This is still very much a missing person inquiry.”

The latest developments come in the wake of a ‘stop and question’ operation on the streets of Inverkip and Wemyss Bay.

Chief Inspector Elliot Brown, leading the investigation, has described the case as ‘one of the most challenging missing person inquiries of my career because of Margaret’s secluded lifestyle’.