Phone hacking: 47-year-old woman arrested

A 47-year-old woman was arrested today by detectives investigating phone-hacking at the News of the World.

She is being held at an Essex police station after she was detained at her home in the county this morning.

Scotland Yard said she is the 17th arrest under its Operation Weeting probe into mobile phone interceptions.

The suspect - who is not a police officer - was arrested on suspicion of attempting to pervert the course of justice.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "The woman was arrested at approximately 6.55am... she is currently in custody at an Essex police station.

"She is the 17th person to be arrested as part of Operation Weeting, the investigation into phone hacking."

She is the first Weeting arrest since private investigator Glenn Mulcaire was released on bail until March over allegations of phone hacking and perverting the course of justice.

Phone-hacking detectives working their way through 300 million emails from News International have arrested a series of high-profile figures, including former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks and ex-Downing Street communications chief Andy Coulson.

Some 1,800 people have come forward to express fears that they may have been hacked but the final total of people whose phones were hacked by the News of the World will be about 800, the force believes.

The scandal has already led to the closure of the Sunday tabloid after 168 years, prompted a major public inquiry, and forced the resignation of Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson and assistant commissioner John Yates.