The family of Madeleine McCann has played down a reported sighting of their missing daughter in India.

Speaking to ITV News family spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: "Nothing leads us to believe that this 'sighting' is any more credible than any others."

Police were thought to be investigating after a British woman spotted a six-year-old girl who appeared to look like Madeleine in the city of Leh in the north of the country on Friday.

Although the French woman and Belgian man who were with her insisted they were her biological parents police still took their passports to check.

Clarence Mitchell added: "Initial reports were very confused - some witnesses said the little girl was about 6-years-old - Madeleine is now 8-years-old and would look substantially different from the little girl who was taken. The search for Madeline is very much alive and we will continue to follow up every lead."

Speaking to ITV News Leh police chief Vivek Gupta categorically denied the sighting.

He said: "This incident is not in my knowledge and I have not sent any request to anyone for this. We have not taken any swabs for DNA testing. We have not even been approached for any help by anyone in this case."

He added: "If anyone wants our help, we are willing to help but as of now, we have not been approached. My men are not at all involved in any such investigation."