A man has been arrested in connection with a spate of cat killings which are being linked to the infamous so-called Croydon cat killer who is believed to be responsible for crimes in Kent.

Northamptonshire police detained a 31-year-old man following the discovery of five dead cats and a number of arsons in Duston and Kingsley Park between August and November last year.

The victims were dismembered, similar to mutilated animals found in Kent, such as a cat found in Snodland in November and Tilly, a nine-year-old domestic shorthair discovered in Maidstone in October.

Tilly was found with her tail cut off

Another was seen more recently on new year’s eve in Langton Green.

The man has since been released pending further investigation.

The bodies of victims have been found with a mysterious lack of blood at the scene, leading some to believe that the killer mutilates the animals elsewhere before returning them.

Tony Jenkins, co-founder of South Norwood Animal Rescue Liberty (SNARL), began investigating numerous animal deaths in the South Norwood area in 2015 and he believes the arrest won't mean the end of the killings.

"We know that a man has been arrested in the Northampton area but that's not our killer" he said.

"It could be a copy cat but we have no evidence of that. The arrest has created quite a storm because people think that the killer has been caught but he hasn't.

"People need to remain vigilant because he is still at large."

Since 2014 around 400 victims have been discovered.

The crimes were first recorded in Croydon but have been seen around the M25 and further afield, giving the butcher the moniker of the UK cat Killer.