The home of nurse Lucy Letby has reportedly been searched (Picture: SWNS)

A nurse’s home is being searched by police in part of an investigation into the murder of eight babies and the attempted murder of a further six at a neonatal unit in Chester.

Officers are said to have arrived at the home of Lucy Letby, 28, early on Tuesday.

Hours before, police announced a female “healthcare professional” had been arrested in a probe into the deaths of 17 infants at the Countess of Chester Hospital.

Detectives said they are also looking at 15 non-fatal collapses at the unit between March 2015 and July 2016.

The arrest comes as part of a long-running investigation following a high number of baby deaths at the hospital.

View photos Lucy Letby: Nurse arrested in babies murder probe released on bail More

View photos Police have searched the home of a nurse in connection with the deaths of a number of babies (Picture: SWNS) More

View photos Detectives search a property on Tuesday (Picture: SWNS) More

Detective Inspector Paul Hughes, in charge of the investigation for Cheshire Police, said it represented a “significant step forward”.

Police are said to have arrived at Ms Letby’s home at around 6am, while officers were also seen at her parents’ property in Hereford later on Tuesday.

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A neighbour of the nurse in Blacon, Chester, said: “I saw lots of police cars arrive, a few cars then a big police van, and gradually more and more came and they put up the tent.”

According to locals, officers moved a small, silver Suzuki car from the driveway of the address to erect the tent.

The car has an NHS parking permit in the window.

In a 2013 interview with the Chester And District Standard, Ms Letby said she cared for babies requiring various levels of support.

View photos Police are investigating the murder of eight babies and the attempted murder of another six at a neonatal unit (Picture: SWNS) More

She had worked on the unit as a student nurse during three years of training before qualifying as a children’s nurse at The University of Chester in 2011.

Ms Letby said she began working on the unit after graduating.

Police have not released the identity of the arrested health worker and did not say if she is a nurse, doctor or other health professional.

Detectives launched an investigation into infant deaths at the hospital in May last year, initially looking at the deaths of 15 babies between June 2015 and June 2016.

On Tuesday police said the probe had widened to include a total of 17 deaths and 15 non-fatal collapses of babies between March 2015 and July 2016.

DI Hughes said: “This is a highly complex and very sensitive investigation and, as you can appreciate, we need to ensure we do everything we possibly can to try to establish in detail what has led to these baby deaths and collapses.

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