The new police unit set up to take a fresh look into the suspected murder of Corsham rugby player and Chippenham fitness instructor Donovan Van Lill has received dozens of calls.

The reinvestigation was launched last week and began with the delivery of hundreds of leaflets around the Pewsham estate in Chippenham advertising a £5,000 reward from Crimestoppers for any information leading to a conviction.

Seventy CCTV images showing people and vehicles in the area around Mr Van Lill’s home in Blackthorn Mews between 9am and 11am on March 3, 2010, the day he disappeared, have also been released on the Wiltshire Police website.

Detective Inspector Don Stirton, second-in-charge of the operation, said the new appeal had not yet turned up a key piece of information, but dozens of people had come forward.

“The reinvestigation is going very well so far,” he said. “We have had 4,700 hits on the Wiltshire Police website and over 4,000 on our Facebook page. A number of people have also called in with information.

“Some of the information is new, so it has given us a number of new lines of inquiry.

“In particular, people have identified themselves on the CCTV images and come forward to let us know who they are.”

Olympiad employee Mr Van Lill, who was 29 when he disappeared, is presumed to have been murdered. His body has never been found.

Swimming instructor Martin Sugden, of Stanton St Quintin, who used to work alongside Mr Van Lill, was acquitted of his murder earlier this year.

“We’ve had murders where we didn’t find a body before, but we have always secured a conviction. Sadly it is very clear in our view that Mr Van Lill is dead. The great hope is we will discover where his body is,” DS Stirton said.

Anyone with information can call police on 0845 408 7000. To see the CCTV images, see www.wiltshire.police.uk.