Dave Lee Travis
Dave Lee Travis

Former BBC star Dave Lee Travis was arrested by police in an early morning swoop, say reports.

Travis was the fourth person held as part of Operation Yewtree, an investigation into sex abuse arising from the Jimmy Savile paedophile scandal. The enquiry includes allegations of adult abuse, as well as crimes against children.

This morning (Thursday) officers arrested a man in Bedfordshire, where Travis lives in a country house. He was reportedly taken for questioning at Aylesbury police station, in Buckinghamshire.

The identity of the latest suspect arrested was not confirmed by Scotland Yard.

Last month, Travis went public by robustly denying claims made by two women against him. Click here for his statement.

Labelling the allegations "utter b*******", Travis said: "I categorically deny that there is any substance in either allegation and I'm genuinely surprised that allegations of this nature have been made. I totally refute any impropriety."

Travis's arrest will deepen the crisis engulfing the national broadcaster, with allegations that it failed to uncover and tackle sex abuse within its own ranks. Travis was a regular on BBC radio and television for years and a much-loved figure, dubbed DLT by fans.

Travis was implicated in sexual offences by a woman who claimed she was assaulted by the star when she was 17 years old. She told Sussex police that Travis shoved his hand up her skirt in a darkened studio.

"I didn't know what was happening, I was still a virgin and I didn't like it. He held me tighter and put his hands up my skirt and into my knickers," she said.