The police arrested a second suspect on Tuesday morning over the murders of five prostitutes in Suffolk, southeast Britain.

A 48-year-old man has been arrested at 5 a.m. at his home in the red light district of Ipswich, where five sex workers used to pry their trade, Sky news reported.

Tom Stephens, a 37-year-old worker with Tesco, the super market, was arrested on Monday by police at his home, southeast of Ipswich where the naked bodies of the women were found.

Stephens, who is now in custody at a Suffolk police station, reportedly told Sunday Mirror on Sunday that he knew all the girls well.

So far there have been 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 16 km of Ipswich. They were all drug-users.

A total of 412 detectives have been deployed from 36 forces across the country, the biggest ever for a murder investigation.

Editor: Yan