OFFICERS have finished scouring a field to the east of Swindon after unearthing an item they believe could be connected to the murder of Sian O’Callaghan.

Arriving at the field between Bourton and Bishopstone, six miles east of Swindon, on Wednesday morning, officers from Wiltshire’s Major Crime Investigation Team have been sifting through the topsoil hunting for any items that could be connected to Sian.

The team was acting on information that led them to believe property that was never recovered from the 22-year-old office worker could be concealed at the remote location.

Yesterday morning the search was being focused primarily around a ditch running along the edge of the field, with teams removing dirt from the grassy verge with spades and rakes before meticulously sifting with their fingertips.

They have been searching for the missing pieces of the puzzle relating to the death of Sian, who was abducted and murdered by taxi driver Chris Halliwell in March 2011 after leaving an Old Town nightclub.

At around midday, the teams removed a single item from the ditch by the side of the road, which has now been sent for forensic analysis.

This Is Wiltshire:

Sian O’Callaghan,

The fresh effort comes after Sian’s boots were discovered in a Ramsbury pond by detectives investigating the murder of Becky Godden-Edwards, whose killer has never been brought to justice since her disappearance in 2002.

Halliwell confessed to Becky’s murder in 2011, but a conviction could not be brought against him because investigating officer Steve Fulcher failed to caution him, instead conducting an urgent interview. Halliwell is currently serving 25 years in prison after being convicted of Sian’s murder.

Wiltshire Police have said this new search is in no way connected to the ongoing investigation into Becky’s murder, or any other active murder investigation in the area.

The knife used to murder Sian has never been found by police, along with many of her personal items including her mobile phone, handbag, and keys.

Detectives have previously been operating on the theory that Sian had been killed at the Ramsbury pond, approximately 10 miles south of where her body was found, in Uffington, Oxfordshire.

The field currently being searched is equidistant between Swindon and Uffington.

By midday yesterday, the team of around eight officers had pulled at least one item of interest out of the ground and bagged it as evidence.

Detective Chief Inspector Sean Memory, of the Major Crime Investigation Team, said: “We continue to be in close contact with Sian’s family and they have always wanted to know what happened to her belongings.

“Due to new information we have been searching in this area for the remaining items that are missing and should we find them, we shall be returning them.”