A man has been arrested over the murders of two schoolgirls nearly three decades after they were killed.

The suspect was arrested today by the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team over the deaths of playmates Nicola Fellows, 10, and nine-year-old Karen Hadaway, whose bodies were found dumped in a park near their Brighton homes in October 1986.

The crimes, which came to be known as the 'Babes in the Wood killings, remain one of the country's most notorious unsolved cases.

Victims: Karen Hadaway, left, and Nicola Fellows, right, were killed in October 1986

The arrest of the man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, comes after new evidence emerged which was not available at the time of the original investigation.

Neighbours Nicola, 10, and Karen, nine, were snatched off the street close to their homes in the Moulsecoomb estate in Brighton on October 9, 1986, after going out to play.

Relatives and friends joined more than 150 police officers in a massive hunt for the girls after they failed to return home.

They were found strangled in the city's Wild Park the next day, huddled together with Karen's head resting on her friend's lap. Nicola has been sexually assaulted before her death.

Playmates: Nicola and Karen both lived on the Moulsecomb estate, Brighton, pictured in 1986

Investigation: Police launched a murder probe after the bodies of the two girls were discovered in woodland

Unsolved: Police have been unable to close the murder case. Pictured, officers investigating in 1986

The families of the two girls have continued to fight for justice ever since, but police have been unable to close the case.

A man was previously arrested and charged with murder, but was cleared at trial.

In 2006, relatives of the girls staged a march to raise awareness of the case on its 20th anniversary.