Madeleine fund stands at £600,000

Nearly £2 million was raised in the first 10 months after the little girl went missing in May 2007, according to accounts filed to Companies House.

Over this period more than £815,000 from the fund was spent on efforts to trace Madeleine, who was nearly four when she went missing from her family's holiday apartment in the Algarve region of Portugal while her parents dined with friends nearby.

The expenditure included £250,000 for search fees, including the bill for Spanish private detectives Metodo 3, £111,522 for legal costs and £123,573 for campaign management. There was also £37,071 for the McCanns' official website, £81,904 for adverts and a total of £141,747 for administrative expenses.

Madeleine's Fund was launched a fortnight after the child vanished from Praia da Luz, southern Portugal, on May 3 2007.

Donations flooded in from supporters around the world who wanted to do something to help her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, of Rothley, Leicestershire, who are now both 40.

The fund's income in the period to March 31 last year totalled £1,846,178, including bank interest of £33,424 and £64,078 from sales of T-shirts and wristbands, the accounts showed.

This total includes a £550,000 libel award from Express Newspapers made in March last year, but not several later sums in damages paid to the McCanns and their friends by media groups.

Mr McCann's brother John, who is one of the fund's directors, said contributions had dropped off. He wrote in a foreword to the accounts, dated November 12 last year: "As expected, the level of donations has fallen over time, although we have a number of loyal donors continuing their support.

"Income in the new financial year is currently significantly lower than at the same time last year. However, our expenses are ongoing and likely to increase."