POLICE will tomorrow resume a search of wasteland for the body of a missing man whose disappearance sparked a murder investigation.

Officers spent today searching land at the back of Grosvenor Street in Kearsley for the body of Michael Martin.

Mr Martin was last seen at a petrol station in Bolton Road at 7.30am on Sunday, August 7, 2016, just a short distance from where the search is being carried out.

The police major incident team was at the scene yesterday and a police spokesman confirmed that the search was in connection with Mr Martin's disappearance.

Residents told The Bolton News that police have been searching the land for a few weeks.

This afternoon officers searched land behind the eastern end of the street.

Police launched a murder investigation following the disappearance last year.

Officers said at the time that they believe Mr Martin, who police said had mental health problems, was assaulted shortly before he was reported missing.

One Grosvenor Street resident, who did not wish to be named, said that a tactical aid unit and a police van had been visiting the street to search the area.

She said: "They were behind the house with sticks. There were about eight of them searching down there.

"I only knew they were behind the house because the dogs started barking.

"I turned around and wondered what they were doing."

She added that it was a shock and not the sort of thing you would expect in the area.

Police halted the search shortly before 3pm yesterday and said that it was a 'massive area' and that the search would resume this morning.

Last year, the disappearance led to police offering a £10,000 reward for information about what may have happened to Mr Martin and searched two properties in Blackley and the Premier Inn in Higher Blackley.

The 25-year-old's car, a black Ford Focus, was recovered in August in Blackley. It had a smashed window and a damaged exhaust. Another car owned by him, a silver Vauxhall Corsa, was also recovered and had been damaged.

Police released the CCTV footage of Mr Martin's last known sighting in Kearsley after he had not been seen for two weeks and there had not been any activity in his bank account in that time.

LIVE BLOG: Police searching land in connection with disappearance of man

Mr Martin, aged 25, was first reported missing on Monday August 8, having last been seen at a petrol station in Bolton Road, Kearsley, at 7.30am on Sunday August 7.

The Bolton News:

Police released CCTV footage of Michael's last known sighting and offered a reward of £10,000 to anyone with information about what may have happened to him.