OFFICERS have been searching drains in the city as part of the Lucy McHugh murder investigation.

Hampshire Constabulary were seen pulling sewage from the drains, which one eyewitness told the Daily Echo was close to Hollybrook Cemetery.

The search comes nearly two months after 13-year-old Lucy's body was found in woodland at Southampton Sports Centre.

Since then, police have extensively searched the nearby area in the hope to find the weapon which was used to kill the Redbridge Community School pupil in July.

In a tweet, Hants Marine Unit wrote: "More searching for us today re #OpRefund we might not have have been on the water but we still managed to find some wet stuff well... loosely speaking! #WeGetAllTheGoodJobs"

Last month, Stephen Nicholson, 24, was jailed for 14 months for failing to co-operate with police.

He refused to hand over his Facebook details to cops after admitting he had spoken to Lucy on the morning before she died.