British police have arrested Lilia Fenech, the Maltese wife of German Peter Wallner, who has been accused with the murder of his former wife Melanie after her badly decomposed remains were found dumped inside a wheelie bin in Surrey.

Mr Wallner, 33, had also been charged some days ago with preventing Mrs Wallner's lawful and decent burial.

Sources said the police have now also arrested and questioned Mrs Fenech but they have not accused her of being involved in the murder.

Mr Wallner had voluntarily gone to the UK when he heard that the Surrey police were looking for him. He was arrested the minute he landed at Gatwick Airport.

The British police had launched a manhunt for Mr Wallner and Mrs Fenech, 23, after they found the badly-decomposed body of a woman in the bin outside their former residence in Hamilton Avenue, Cobham, on Saturday. The body was identified as Mrs Wallner's.

Ms Fenech and her father, Martin, denied that she or Mr Wallner were involved in the murder.

Mr Wallner and Ms Fenech had left Cobham and drove across the English Channel to Malta. The Surrey police had appealed for information about the couple and their van, which was tracked down in San Ġwann.

British police said they did not know when Mrs Wallner died and appealed for information.