A SEPTIC tank was yesterday examined by police searching for the body of murdered teenager Jenny Nicholl.

Police cordoned off a small field containing the underground tank at Woodhouse Farm, near Richmond, at about lunchtime.

Officers spent about five hours at the site before the cordon was removed. Police said nothing of significance was found.

The development came two days after a man appeared in court charged with Jenny's murder.

It is understood police were alerted to the tank when the occupiers of the farmhouse said their sewage system was not working.

The tank takes overflow from the elderly couple's own system.

The septic tank remained full of waste yesterday evening.

It is understood police may return to empty the tank, which is believed to be several feet deep.

The farm is on the edge of the Sandbeck Plantation, where Jenny's teddy bear and stereo were found buried last year.

The plantation is less than a mile from the Holly Hill Inn.

Jenny's car was found abandoned in the pub's car park four days after her disappearance.

The Sandbeck road was closed to traffic while police examined the tank.

David Hodgson, 47, of Olav Road, Richmond, was arrested on Wednesday morning and charged with Jenny's murder.

He was taken to Northallerton Magistrates' Court, where he was bailed until Thursday to appear at Teesside Crown Court.

Jenny left the family home in Richmond on June 30, 2005, saying she would not be back that night. Her parents never saw her again.

Despite a huge search by North Yorkshire Police, her body has never been found.

Four months after her disappearance, police announced their investigation had become a murder inquiry.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call police on 0845-60-60-247 or Crimestoppers on 0800-555-111.