The police officer held in connection with the disappearance of Sarah Everard has been arrested on suspicion of murder, police have said.

The man, who is in his 40s and a serving Metropolitan Police officer, was initially arrested on Tuesday night on suspicion of kidnap at an address in Kent.

He has now been further arrested on suspicion of murder and a separate allegation of indecent exposure, Met Police said on Wednesday.

The Met confirmed that the police officer, who was not on duty at the time of Ms Everard’s disappearance, worked for the force’s parliamentary and diplomatic protection command.

“His primary role was uniformed patrol duties of diplomatic premises,” they said.

It is still not known if the officer was known to Ms Everard.

Met Assistant Commissioner Nick Ephgrave previously described his arrest as a “serious and significant” development in the search for the 33-year-old.

Officers are currently searching properties in south London, the one in Deal,Kent and and an area of woodland in Ashford.

A woman in her 30s, who was arrested at the same property as the officer, is still being held on suspicion of assisting an offender, the force added.

The marketing executive, 33, disappeared while walking home to Brixton, south London from a friend’s house in Clapham on 3 March.

Her uncle, Nick Everard, told Sky News earlier that his family are “distraught” over her disappearance.

“Things are utterly dire,” he said, but added that they were hoping and “waiting for positive news from the police”.

Her family has described her disappearance as being “totally out of character” and said her phone was not ringing and WhatsApp messages were not getting through.

Ms Everard left her friend’s property in Leathwaite Road at around 9pm last Wednesday before speaking to her partner on the phone for about 15 minutes, with the call ending at around 9.28pm.

The last known sighting of her in Clapham was captured on a doorbell camera.

It showed her walking alone along the A205 Poynders Road from the junction at Cavendish Road, toward Tulse Hill, which lies south of Brixton, at about 9.30pm.

She had not been seen or heard from since.

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