A man from the North-East has been arrested as part of nationwide inquiry into a suspected paedophile ring.

The 60-year-old, from County Durham, was one of three arrested in raids across the UK.

The investigation, which is being led by the Metropolitan Police with the support of local forces, searched six addresses in County Durham, London, Leicestershire, Oxfordshire, Surrey and Sussex.

A 66-year-old from Surrey and a 64-year-old man from Leicestershire were also arrested along with the County Durham man on suspicion of conspiracy to distribute indecent images of children, distributing indecent images of children and taking indecent images of children.

Because of the sensitivity of the operation, police have not revealed where in County Durham the 60-year-old man was living.

A spokesman said the move was intelligence-led and linked to similar police activity across Europe.

The three men are in custody at local police stations.

Detective Inspector Neil Thompson, who led the operation, said: "We consider these arrests to be very important in helping to disrupt a significant paedophile network.

"Our overriding concern is to safeguard children and I believe this operation and the resulting arrests will strongly contribute to this long running aim."

Last weekend, officers from Scotland Yard arrested a London man as part of an inquiry into what could be the largest Internet paedophile ring found in Britain. It is thought to include up to 1,800 people.

According to reports on Sunday, the man arrested is a caretaker, and the club shared sexually explicit images of boys as young as 12.