A witness has claimed to have seen missing schoolgirl Milly Dowler with two men not far from where her body was found.

The sighting occurred less than an hour after her disappearance.

Surrey Police say they are also looking for three cars and a white van, seen in the spot in Yateley Heath Wood, near Hartley Wintney at around 5pm, on Thursday, March 21.

Detective Chief Superintendent Craig Denholm, leading the hunt for the girl's killer, said the latest news was a "very significant" development in the investigation.

Mr Denholm told a press conference that the sighting was approximately 300 yards from where the remains of the 13-year-old were found on September 18.

The witness, who is in his 30s, told police he saw the two men with a schoolgirl in a field to his left as he drove along Minley Road, which borders the scene.

"He says that the girl was wearing a dark blazer and a grey skirt or dress," said DCS Denholm.

"One of the men was immediately behind her and the other was about six-feet away."

Mr Denholm added that the sighting came about an hour after Milly was last seen after she got off a train near her home in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey.

He explained that this was roughly the time that it took to drive from Walton to the site where the body was found.

The witness, who is local to the area, first drove south along Minley Road that afternoon at about 4.45pm when he saw a dark medium-sized car the size of a Ford Mondeo or Escort, which he believed was around eight to 10-years-old. It was parked in the gateway to Minley Farm.

Further down the road the man saw a white van, which he described as being larger than a Transit van, possibly a Mercedes box-type van.

The witness then saw a man of medium build in his 20s with light brown hair and a round face walk from the front of the van to the driver's door, which was open.

It was on the witness's way back up the road that he saw the men and the schoolgirl, Mr Denholm said.

Mr Denholm added: "The timing and location of this witness' account means that it could be very significant indeed."