DETECTIVES who carried out a review of the evidence gathered in the hunt for the murderer of teenager Vicky Hall praised the murder hunt team - but found no new lines of inquiry, it was revealed today.

DETECTIVES who carried out a review of the evidence gathered in the hunt for the murderer of teenager Vicky Hall praised the murder hunt team - but found no new lines of inquiry, it was revealed today.

They did suggest the use of some new forensic techniques concerning DNA – but these have since been tried and did not bring to light any new material.

Today assistant chief constable Colin Langham-Fitt pledged that the hunt for Vicky's killer would carry on.

"The murder of Victoria Hall shocked the local community and sparked a massive inquiry. The case remains open. Any potential lines of inquiry that come to light will be fully explored – and I would urge anyone who has information to get in touch with the police," he said.

Vicky, 17, went missing in September, 1999, as she walked home to Trimley St Mary after spending the evening at a Felixstowe nightclub.

She parted from best friend Gemma Algar at the junction of High Road and Faulkeners Way, but was never seen again.

It is believed she was abducted minutes later and killed, sparking one of the biggest murder hunts the county has ever seen. Her body was found in a water-filled ditch at Creeting St Peter, 24 miles away, five days later.

Police charged Felixstowe man Adrian Bradshaw with sixth form student Vicky's murder, but he was acquitted by a crown court jury.

Afterwards, Suffolk police handed over all the files and evidence in the case to Hertfordshire Constabulary for a review of the investigation and an independent assessment of the methods used in the case.

It was also hoped a fresh pair of eyes might provide some new lines of inquiry.

Det Supt Steve Read, who headed the review team, conducted interviews with key members of the inquiry team, consulted experts and visited sites connected with the case.

They found examples of good practice, including the professional manner of crime scene handing and the management of exhibits, and praised senior investigating officer Det Supt Roy Lambert and his team for the way they handled what proved to be an enormous challenge.

"It is rare that an investigation team has had to work with such a limited amount of substantive evidence," said Det Supt Read.

Mr Langham-Fitt said the review was standard procedure.

"We are anxious that every possible opportunity to solve this terrible crime is pursued," he said.

"The aim of the review was to identify both good practice and learning points whichcould help us in the future – and, if possible, find new avenues of investigation.

"In the end, the review did not come up with any new lines of inquiry but did come up with some extremely useful points, and we would like to thank Det Supt Read and his team for all their time and effort."