Detectives hunting the weapon used in the double execution of a young South London couple had to call off their unsuccessful search in Regents Canal today.

Officers, acting on new intelligence, suspect the murder weapon used against Jordan Lee Jackson, 20 and Leyla Djemal-Northcott, 21, may have been thrown into the canal near the Mile End Road bridge.

Masked men entered a flat in Menlo Gardens in Upper Norwood on 7 March 2006 before firing at least six shots, killing the pair.

The Met’s gun crime unit Trident used specialist divers to examine a section of the canal, around 30m in length, for four hours in poor weather conditions before having to call off their search at 2pm.

Ten members of the marine underwater team could only do ‘fingertip searches’ - trying to retrieve the murder weapon by touch - because rainfall had brought silt up from the canal bed leaving the divers with no underwater visibility.

With the temperature at 4 degrees Celsius, the officers were only able to remain in the water for 30 and 40 minute spells.

Detectives heading up the operation will now decide whether to repeat their search when weather conditions improve.

The MPS is offering a reward of up to �20,000 for information which leads to the arrest and conviction of Jordan and Leyla’s killers.

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 020 8247 4553 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.