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Madeleine McCann's parents will speak to police this afternoon after officers leading the investigation were given DNA test results.

Madeleine McCannSky News crime correspondent Martin Brunt has learned vital clues from the results are expected to lead to a significant development.

Experts at the Forensic Science Service (FSS) in Birmingham have spent the past month analysing samples taken from the McCanns' holiday apartment in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz.

The evidence recovered includes blood flecks found by British sniffer dogs on the wall in Madeleine's bedroom, where she vanished on May 3.

A source has confirmed that information gathered by the FSS had been "regularly fed back" to investigators in Portugal, although the official line remains that tests are "ongoing".

An FSS spokeswoman would not comment on the specifics of the case, but said: "There has been a lot of speculation. The tests are ongoing.

Samples were taken from this resort"There has been no change in that, despite what the reports say. It's a live investigation and we are working with the police."

The McCanns spokesperson said: "The Portuguese police have not phoned Kate and Gerry, and have not told them about the test results.

"We will await official confirmation as we do for any story."

It is understood the news was "unexpected" for the couple, although they have been awaiting the test results for many weeks.

The only official suspect in the case, 33-year-old ex-pat Robert Murat, believes the Portuguese authorities will shortly clear him formally.

His spokesman Tuck Price said he had not been told about any developments in the case.

"Why are they holding him in limbo?" he added. "That is still a concern - unless they are using him as cover so that they can continue investigating somebody else...

"It's still very frustrating - it's been five weeks since they went back in there again (to search Mr Murat's house for a second time), and we thought this would all be sewn up."

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,91210-1282955,00.html