Kate and Gerry McCann vowed to continue the search for their daughter Madeleine tonight after the Portuguese authorities shelved their investigation into the child's disappearance.

The English couple welcomed prosecutors' decision to lift their status as ``arguidos'', or formal suspects, but said they had no cause for celebration.

Her voice breaking with emotion, Kate McCann said: "We will never give up on Madeleine. We welcome the news today, although it is no cause for celebration.

"We look forward to scrutinising the police files to see what has actually been done and more importantly what can still be done as we leave no stone unturned in the search for our little girl.

"It is hard to describe how utterly desprairing it was to be named arguidos (suspect) and subsequently portrayed in the media as suspects in our own daughter's abduction and worse.

"Equally it has been devastating to witness the detrimental effect this status has had on the search for Madeleine."

Family spokesman Clarence Mitchell said the arguidos status issue had been "a distraction".

He said: "The main thing now is to get everything back onto finding Madeleine.

"The only thing they care about is finding their daughter," he added.