Image caption Operation Elveden is looking into allegations of corrupt payments to public officials by journalists

A married couple have been arrested by police who are investigating alleged corrupt payments to public officials.

The husband, a 42-year-old member of the armed forces, was arrested on suspicion of corruption, misconduct in a public office, and conspiracy to commit both offences.

The wife, 32, was held on suspicion of conspiracy to commit corruption and conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office.

They were being questioned in Surrey.

The arrests were part of the Met Police's Operation Elveden, which is investigating allegations of inappropriate payments to police and public officials.

It is running alongside Operation Weeting, the probe into phone hacking.

The woman was arrested at her home address in Chertsey at 06:00 BST, while the man was arrested at an address in Camberley about half an hour later.

Scotland Yard said the arrests were the result of information provided by News Corporation's management standards committee, which was set up in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal.

The arrests take the number of suspects questioned as part of the two police operations to 46.

Most recently, on Tuesday a prison officer in Northampton was held by Operation Elveden detectives on suspicion of conspiracy to corrupt and misconduct in a public office.

Another man, 28, was arrested on the same day under Operation Tuleta, which is looking at computer hacking, the alleged illegal accessing of stolen mobile phones and other privacy breaches.