THE painstaking search at the council house in Kent that has yeilded two sets of human remains continues today.

Teams of police and forensic experts will concentrate on the upper floor of the three bedroomed terraced home in Margate's Irvine Drive, paying particular attention to floor and wall spaces and the loft area.

Excavation work in the front and rear gardens is now completed.

The bodies of 15-year-old Vicky Hamilton, and the remains thought to be those of Dinah McNicol, 18, from Essex, were discovered in the rear garden last week.

A post mortem examination has been carried out on the second set of remains.

In a statement police said: "The body appears to be that of a woman and the height, clothing and jewellery found with the body are consistent with that of Dinah McNicol. Samples have been sent off for urgent analysis, but formal ID will take some time."

Dinah's father Ian McNicol, made an emotional visit to the house on Monday and was shown around the inside and outside of the property by Det Supt Tim Wills, who is leading the investigation into Dinah’s disappearance in the summer of 1991 on the way home from a pop festival in Hampshire.

The former jazz musician, 68, looked frail as he shuffled towards the waiting media. In a hushed voice, he said: "At least they have found her remains and I can speak for the whole family that we can now put her to rest and grieve in our own time, which is what we have wanted for 16 years.

"I will cry on my own. I am not going to cry in front of you lot."

Three specialist dogs were brought in by police as part of the investigation - springer spaniels Dot and Aldo, plus Wizard, a labrador.

They are known as victim recovery dogs specialising in looking for blood traces and bodily remains.

A spokeswoman for Essex Police, the force conducting the inquiry, said the dogs were used "to help identitfy any areas in the house we may want to pay particular attention to".

Thanet council cabinet member for housing Cllr Zita Wiltshire said: "It is too early to say what will happen to the house but there will be full consultation with neighbours before any decision is made. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims and with the community that is at the centre of this tragedy."

Special prayers were said on Sunday at Holy Trinity Church in Cliftonville for the community and the families affected.

Meanwhile, the family who lived in the terraced house where the remains were found have described the events of the last week as "devastating and unreal".

A statement by Nicola Downing, 37, said: "I can only describe it as a nightmare that seems to get worse every day.

"We lived in that house for 12 years and we had a happy family home. What they are finding there is just awful and it has turned our family life upside down.

"Since we moved out the developments have been shocking for all of us. Our hearts and thoughts are with the families involved.

"We would like to thank all the local authorities, the police and our friends and family. They have tried to make our lives as normal as possible throughout this ordeal, especially for our children."

Det Supt Tim Wills, who is leading the investigation, said that police were "determined to continue with this for as long as it takes to complete the task we came here to do."