A 25-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering the Hull University student Libby Squire, whose body was recovered from the Humber estuary nearly seven weeks after she disappeared in February.

Humberside police said a man had been arrested on Wednesday over the 21-year-old’s death and was being questioned by detectives.

The force said: “Libby’s family continue to receive support from specially trained officers and have been updated on the investigation.”

Squire was last seen at around 12.09am on 1 February near her home on Wellesley Avenue, Hull, having returned home from an evening out.

Later that morning, she was reported missing, prompting an intensive search by hundreds of uniformed officers as well as search specialists, dog handlers, underwater officers and the public.

Her body was recovered by detectives from the Humber estuary on 20 March.

The student, born Liberty Anna Squire, has two younger sisters and a younger brother, who live in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.

She moved to Hull in September 2017 to study philosophy, her parents, Lisa and Russell Squire, have previously said.

In a Facebook post following the discovery of her body, her mother said: “I cannot thank you enough my darling Pie for making me a mummy.”

Following Squire’s death, Hull University put in place extra measures to support students and keep them safe, including organising for students to walk in groups or with security staff if requested.

In February, detectives said they wanted to speak to four people seen on CCTV near the location she went missing.

The potential witnesses were identified travelling along Oak Road on the day Squire was last seen. In the footage, one person appears to be running and then walking, a cyclist is seen twice and two people appear to be walking together.