Day 5: April Jones still not found and eight hours left to question suspect Mark Bridger

Police have until 5pm to charge or release a man suspected of abducting April Jones, as the search to find the missing five-year-old enters its fifth day.

April has been missing since Monday evening, when she was seen getting into a vehicle at around 7pm. She had been playing with a friend on the estate where she lives, in Machynlleth, Powys.

Police and rescue teams have spent more than 84 hours searching for April, but have as yet found no trace of her.

Yesterday police were granted an extra 36 hours to question 46-year-old Mark Bridger, a local man who was arrested on Tuesday afternoon.

Dyfed Powys Police have until just before 5pm to charge or release him. They can, however, apply for a further 24 hours warrant of detention for him today.

BBC News reports police are searching a small farmhouse in the nearby village of Ceinws, where Bridger was known to be living most recently.

Search teams began lifting up paving slabs outside the property while activity continued inside, the broadcaster says.

Police worked through the night in driving rain to try to find April, but mountain rescue teams were forced to call off their search at around 1am due to the weather, BBC News reports.

Yesterday more than 1,000 volunteers turned out to try to help the search effort.

Some 400 locals filled out a police questionnaire detailing where they lived and their knowledge of the Machynlleth area. Police said they would use the information to co-ordinate volunteers wanting to assist the search.

Meanwhile police announced they had received more than 2,500 calls following their appeal for information.

Search teams began gathering again at Machynlleth at dawn today. More volunteers are expected.

At a press conference yesterday morning Detective Superintendent Reg Bevan again urged people to consider whether they had seen Mark Bridger between 6.30pm on Monday and 3.30pm on Tuesday.

Anyone who had contact with him between those times - be it face-to-face, via text message, telephone or social media - should contact police, he added.

"We also need information regarding the movements of the blue Land Rover Discovery registration L503 MEP between Monday evening and Tuesday afternoon," he said.

Yesterday April's family appealed for people to wear pink ribbons to show solidarity with the search. Pink, April's godmother explained, is the five-year-old's favourite colour.

It emerged on Wednesday night April suffers from cerebral palsy.

Her family said she requires daily medication for the condition, without which she would be in pain.

UPDATE 1040: Mark Bridger has been arrested on suspicion of April's murder, police have announced.

Bridger was on Tuesday arrested on suspicion of abduction and has since been held in police custody at Aberystwyth Police Station.

In a press conference at 10.30am today, Dyfed Powys Police announced the 46-year-old has now been arrested on suspicion of the murder of April.

Dyfed Powys Police have until just before 5pm to charge or release Bridger. They can, however, apply for a further 24 hours warrant of detention for him today.

UPDATE 1153: Police have called in Peter Faulding, an expert in confined spaces, to help retrieve April's body, according to Sky News crime correspondent Martin Brunt.

Posting on Twitter, Brunt said Faulding will advise police on which parts of the river they should concentrate in the search for April.

Faulding was a key witness in the inquest of MI6 spy Gareth Williams, whose body was found in a bag, the Sky correspondent said.

The search is focused close to the town, Brunt added.

UPDATE 1205: News that Bridger has been arrested on suspicion of April's murder was broken to volunteers at a meeting in Machynlleth.

BBC News reports many emerged from the meeting in tears, with some vowing to continue assisting the search despite the police's message "we only require professional searchers to be involved in the ongoing search".

One volunteer who had travelled from Liverpool to assist the search for April told BBC News: "I don't know what to say, it's very emotional. A lot of people are crying".

Asked whether he accepted the police's message to volunteers to stand down, he said: "I think we've got to leave it to the professionals because we don't want to be disturbing anything".

UPDATE 1235: Mark Bridger's two children attended the same school as April, BBC News reports.

Bridger was at a parent-teacher meeting which April's parents attended at the school earlier this week, the broadcaster says.

April's grades had been so good her parents granted her extra play time on Monday, the night she went missing, says BBC News.

UPDATE 1557: Mark Bridger has just left a closed session in a magistrates' court in Aberystwyth, BBC News reports.

Bridger left the court in a van under police escort. BBC News reports it is assumed police have asked magistrates to extend the amount of time they can question him, and that magistrates have granted that request.

If this is the case, police should be able to question Bridger until Saturday afternoon.

UPDATE 1610: Police have been granted an extra 24 hours to question Mark Bridger, BBC News confirms.

UPDATE 1735 : Police have been overwhelmed by the "acts of kindness" shown by members of the public today.

In a brief press conference, Superintendent Ian John said people have provided officers with food and drink "almost hourly throughout the day". He also thanked the employers of volunteers who have allowed them time off to assist the search for April.

Supt John also thanked staff at Powys County Council, Machynlleth Town Council and the Welsh Government in Aberystwyth for their support.

He vowed: "Despite the developments in the investigation, our focus remains on finding April and the search will continue."

Supt John listed those involved in the search effort: Eight police teams of more than 60 specialist search trained officers; all of the blue light services, including the fire service, ambulance, coastguard, RNLI and the RAF mountain rescue service; and 150 members of the Mountain Rescue service from across the UK.

Rescue dogs and a host of specialist equipment is also being used, including boats with sonar equipment and a helicopter with thermal imaging capability.

"All the pink ribbons and balloons around the town shows the impact this tragic incident has had on everyone," Supt John said.

Anyone with information is urged to call 101. Alternatively, Dyfed Powys Police have issued a number for people who might have details about April: 0300 2000 333.