The mother of missing four-year-old Madeleine McCann was interviewed on her own by police yesterday, a spokesman for the family said.

Kate McCann was dropped off in the Algarve town of Portimao by her husband Gerry and pushed her way through dozens of waiting reporters to enter the police station, accompanied by a relative.

The McCanns have previously attended regular informal meetings with police as a couple.

A source close to the family said Gerry McCann was expected to be interviewed by police today.

"Kate is going in without her husband to answer questions regarding the case," the family spokesman said, adding that she was happy to cooperate with police in the investigation.

The renewed questioning comes after Portuguese police received partial results of forensic evidence analysed in Britain.

Madeleine vanished on May 3 from her bedroom in the Praia da Luz resort in the Algarve and the new evidence, which was found by sniffer dogs in the holiday apartment, could shed more light on the case.

A Briton living in Praia da Luz has been identified by police as the only suspect in the investigation and his house has been searched twice.