British police plan dig around resort area where Madeleine McCann was last seen

This March 2007 photo shows three-year-old British girl Madeleine McCann. (AP)

British police have reportedly told the parents of missing girl Madeleine McCann that they intend to launch extensive digs in and around the resort area where the 3-year-old was staying with her parents when she was abducted in 2007.

The Daily Mirror reported that a team of forensic officers will use radar equipment to search for clues to the whereabouts of Madeleine.

A source close to Kate and Gerry McCann told the paper that police were not acting on a specific tip, but were rather conducting their own digs to search for evidence the Portuguese authorities may have missed.

The investigation into Madeleine's disappearance has been marked by tension between the Metropolitan Police and Portuguese investigators. The Mirror reported that the Metropolitan Police have requested access to files and evidence from the original investigation by local authorities for months.

There have also been a number of leads regarding possible suspects that have not panned out. Over the weekend, the Mirror reported that British detectives are currently investigating a suspected pedophile ring believed to be active in the Algarve region of Portugal at the time of Madeleine's disappearance. The paper reported that authorities are trying to identify someone responsible for 18 break-ins at Algarve villas between 2004 and 2010. At least nine of those break-ins reportedly involved sexual assaults against British girls as young as ten.

Saturday marked the seventh anniversary of the disappearance of Madeleine, whose 11th birthday would have been celebrated May 12. Her parents, who were initially investigated as suspects by Portuguese authorities, have publicly maintained that their daughter is still alive and have pressed British police to conduct their own investigation of the disappearance.