Ananova:

Police have resumed their painstaking search of the former home of the man charged with murdering Vicky Hamilton, following the discovery of two bodies at the address.

Detectives believe a body they uncovered on Friday at the house in Margate, Kent, where Peter Tobin once lived, is that of missing student Dinah McNicol.

Miss McNicol, of Tillingham, Essex, was 18 when she vanished in 1991 - the same year as West Lothian schoolgirl Vicky Hamilton, whose remains were found buried at the house on Monday.

Forensic archaeologists resumed their search of the address from 8.30am on Saturday.

Detective superintendent Tim Wills, who is leading the Essex Police probe, arrived shortly afterwards, telling reporters: "There is no further update at this stage. The post-mortem examination is complete but there is nothing further I can say."

On Friday Mr Wills described the operation as a "slow and painstaking process".

Tobin, 61, lived at the address at the centre of the probe for a short time in 1991. The former handyman has been charged with murdering Miss Hamilton, who was 15 when she went missing, and appeared at Linlithgow Sheriff Court on Thursday.

The area surrounding the house remained sealed off by police tape as forensic teams continued their investigations. Police said they were likely to begin focusing on the inside of the three-bedroom council house in Irvine Drive.

Officers said on Friday they had found remains, thought to be those of Miss McNicol, close to the patio in the back garden. Peter Lowton, Assistant Chief Constable of Essex Police, said: "Based on both the height of the body and the clothing with the body, we believe it is Dinah."

He said the force was now concentrating on gathering evidence as part of the inquiry into the death of Miss McNicol. When asked if the force was close to making any arrests over Miss McNicol's disappearance, he said: "It is too early to tell."