Detectives hunting the killer of Walton schoolgirl Milly Dowler are following 20 new lines of inquiry.

Hundreds of callers flooded the investigation unit at Surrey Police following the release of a CCTV image of a red Daewoo Nexia car, published in the Comet on March 16.

Police are not revealing any details on the new leads, but remain optimistic they will eventually find the person responsible.

A spokesman for Surrey Police said: "We are confident that something will, at some stage, turn up, that we will find the person responsible for killing Milly and see them in court."

Almost 400 people have contacted the police about the car and detectives remain grateful for their help.

Police believe the red car was used in the abduction of the teenager. It was caught on camera at the junction of Copenhagen Way and Station Avenue in Walton 20 minutes after the last sighting of Milly on March 21, 2002.

A similar car was spotted seen at Yately Heath Woods, Hampshire, a few days later. Milly's body was discovered by a couple picking mushrooms in the same woods in September 2002.

The new line of inquiry emerged after a tip-off led police to look again at CCTV footage from the Station Avenue area.

A £50,000 reward for information leading to the killer is still on offer.

The spokesman added: "We're very committed to this investigation and continue to remain optimistic. We would always like to hear from people who have any thoughts on what happened to Milly, so don't hesitate to call us."

Call Surrey Police on 0845 1252222.