Tom Stephens, 37-year-old worker with Tesco, the supermarket, was arrested by police at his home, southeast of Ipswich where bodies of the women were found.

Stephens, who is now in custody at a Suffolk police station, told Sunday Mirror on Sunday that he knew all the girls well and had been interviewed by police four times but denied any involvement in the murders, Sky news reported.

Meanwhile, forensic experts have been searching Stephens' mother's home in the market town of Eye, Suffolk.

So far police has given no comments on Stephens' arrest. He will be detained for 24 hours and can be held for a further 12 hours with permission from a superintendent and up to 96 hours with permission from the courts.

The naked bodies of five sex workers from Suffolk, aged from 19 to 29, were found in early December in rural areas within 10 miles of Ipswich. They were all drug-users.

According to reports, a total of 412 detectives have been deployed from 36 forces across the country, which is the biggest ever for a murder investigation.