Image caption The people were arrested on suspicion of corruption and conspiracy to commit bribery

A former Mirror journalist was one of three people arrested by police investigating corrupt payments to public officials, it has emerged.

The Operation Elveden arrests were carried out on Wednesday morning, the Metropolitan Police said.

Greig Box-Turnbull, 37, who worked for the Daily Mirror until March, was arrested at his home in Morden, Surrey.

A prison officer, 46, and a 50-year-old woman were also arrested in south London and Kent.

The prison officer was arrested at his home address, while the woman was arrested at a non-residential location in Kent, police said.

All three were arrested on suspicion of corruption, conspiracy to commit bribery and conspiracy to cause misconduct in a public office.

Police said they were being questioned at separate London police stations.

Mr Box-Turnbull is a press officer with Westminster City Council on secondment to Richmond Council.

A Westminster spokesman said: "We have yet to speak to the employee. With the possibility of further legal action it would clearly be inappropriate to comment further."

Thirty-seven Elveden arrests

BBC home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw said it was thought the allegations against Mr Box-Turnbull related to his work as a journalist.

The arrests, which happened between 06:00 and 08:00 BST, bring the total during the inquiry to 37, police said.

Operation Elveden is being run in conjunction with Operation Weeting, the police inquiry into the hacking of mobile phone voicemails.

In both investigations, plus the related Operation Tuleta targeting computer misuse, there have been about 60 arrests but only six people have been charged so far, says BBC correspondent Danny Shaw.

There has been concern in the past that the investigations could stop journalists doing their job, he adds.

However, police said: "Today's arrests relate to suspected payments to a public official and are not about seeking journalists to reveal confidential sources in relation to information that has been obtained legitimately."