Online clip released of Madeleine McCann

British police have asked internet users to spread a new video aimed at people who may have information about Madeleine McCann.

The short film includes new images of how the missing British girl might look now, aged six, more than two years after she disappeared while on holiday with her family in a resort in Portugal's southern Algarve coast in May 2007.

Madeleine disappeared from the resort a few days before her fourth birthday.

The appeal was launched on Tuesday by the UK Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre.

Detectives hope the video will "prick the conscience" of someone close to the girl's abductor.

"If you know who's involved and are keeping this secret, remember it's never too late to do the right thing," the centre's chief Jim Gamble said in the film.

Gerry McCann told the BBC on Tuesday the video is more of an attempt to contact specific people rather than appeal to the public for information.

"We need it to be spread far and wide, and for those people to be exposed to this message as many times as possible," he said.

The Australian Federal Police has thrown its support behind the new initiative.

"A lot of Australian families have to deal with their own anguish and uncertainty of missing relatives and friends," AFP national manager for economic and special operations Mandy Newton said.

"Each year 35,000 people are reported missing in Australia - that is one person every 15 minutes."

The message can be viewed at www.ceop.police.uk in seven different languages - English, Arabic, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.