Cops launch new William Tyrrell search

Police have launched a new search in bushland on the NSW mid-north coast related to the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of William Tyrrell.

Police officers, SES crews and sniffer dogs have scoured the bushland around Herons Creek today as part of a coronial order from the ongoing inquest.

The search is taking place in an area about a 10 minute drive from Kendall where the three-year-old disappeared while playing outside his foster grandmother's home in 2014.

Investigators are focusing the search on an area where convicted paedophile Frank Abbott lived in a caravan at the time of William's disappearance, according to the ABC.

Abbott is currently serving 16 years in jail after being convicted of 10 counts of sexual misconduct against three children.

A coronial inquest into the toddler's disappearance previously heard how the 79-year-old would complain about a "peculiar smell" coming from the bushland near Herons Creek.

When someone known to Abbott suggested it was probably a dead kangaroo, he reportedly said, "I know the difference between a dead kangaroo and a dead human".

He reportedly didn't tell the police about the smell because he believed he would get blamed "if there's something up there".

More to come.

Originally published as Cops launch new William Tyrrell search