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Nurse Lucy Letby, arrested on suspicion of murdering eight babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital, has been released on bail.

The 28-year-old was arrested by Cheshire Police on Tuesday morning as part of a year-long investigation into the deaths of babies at the neo-natal unit at the hospital in the north west of England.

Letby was held on suspicion of the murder of eight babies and the attempted murder of six more. She has not been charged.

A statement from Cheshire Police said: "We continue to recognise that this investigation has a huge impact on all of the families, staff, and patients at the hospital as well as members of the public.

"Parents of all the babies continue to be kept fully updated and are being supported throughout the process by specially trained officers.

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"This is an extremely difficult time for all the families and it is important to remember that, at the heart of this, there are a number of bereaved families seeking answers as to what happened to their children."

They added: "This investigation is very much ongoing and there are no set timescales at this stage but as soon as we are able to provide any further updates we will do."

On Thursday police were seen searching the back garden of Letby's home in Chester, where she was arrested at roughly 6am on Tuesday.

(Image: Facebook)

(Image: Getty Images Europe)

Police were seen entering the back of the property with shovels and rakes, while a large tent was erected in the front garden.

Officers have been seen conducting a fingertip search of guttering and drains at the property and carrying boxes of evidence from the address.

Searches have also been underway at Letby's parents' house in Hereford.

On Wednesday it emerged that Liverpool Women's Hospital - where Letby spent time while training - was co-operating with the Cheshire Police investigation.

When Letby was arrested Detective Inspector Paul Hughes, in charge of the operation codenamed Hummingbird, said the move represented a "significant step forward".

(Image: Chester Standard / SWNS.com)

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.

The Countess of Chester Hospital had carried out a number of independent expert medical reviews into the deaths before calling in police.