McCanns inundated with Christmas presents for missing Madeleine

Kate and Gerry McCann have been flooded with presents for their missing daughter Madeleine - which they pray she will be home in time to open.

The couple are facing their 'hardest Christmas imaginable' without their four-year-old daughter but continue to receive gifts, messages and cards from well-wishers all over the world.

They are said to be 'immensely touched' by the support they have received from well-wishers, who have sent Christmas presents for Madeleine and also for their two-year-old twins, Sean and Amelie.

Hundreds of people across the world have sent gifts as a gesture of support for the couple, who remain official suspects in their daughter's disappearance.

They plan to have a 'very quiet, private Christmas with family' but have said they will give Sean and Amelie the gifts that have been sent for them.

Spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: "Kate and Gerry are immensely touched by the continued support and sympathy they have been shown by people all over the world.

"Particularly at this time of year as they face their hardest Christmas imaginable, the messages of support have been of immense comfort to them."

The couple were inundated with gifts and messages in the months immediately after Madeleine's disappearance, and with donations to the Find Madeleine fund, which raised almost £1.1million.

Donation rates have slowed since they were named as suspects but a friend of the family said they continued to receive 'a steady stream of presents for Madeleine, and for Sean and Amelie'.

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He said: "Kate and Gerry are very grateful that the messages of support show how the public are behind them. They know public opinion has been divided since they have been made suspects.

"Now they can only pray that Madeleine will be back with them in time to open her presents.

"The specific Christmas presents that have been sent for the twins have been left under the tree for them to open on Christmas morning.

"If they are overwhelmed by presents for Madeleine and the twins they will consider giving some to charity again."

More than 2,000 toys were left at the war memorial in the McCanns' home village of Rothley, Leicestershire - which became a focus for the hopes and prayers for Madeleine during the summer - and were given to the charity Samaritan's Purse.

They were washed, wrapped and shipped to orphanages in the former Soviet Bloc country of Belarus by the charity to be given to children who had no toys of their own.

Each toy was individually tied with green and yellow ribbons - a symbol of hope - and carried a tag with a small picture of Madeleine as a reminder of her plight.