Serving Met Police officer and former mechanic, 48, arrested over disappearance of Sarah Everard

Officers are currently digging up the garden of the serving Metropolitan Police officer arrested last night over missing Sarah Everard.

PC Wayne Couzens, 48, was being held today by colleagues in London in connection with the week-long missing persons investigation.

Couzens, who is a Westminster-based diplomatic protection officer,  was never involved in the search operation himself and was detained just before midnight last night at his home in Deal, Kent.

Another woman, was also arrested at their £200,000 property, which is near to woodland where police are currently scouring for Ms Everard.

This afternoon police began digging in their garden as their £20,000 black Seat Exeo was taken away on lowloader.

One neighbour said: ‘He kept himself to himself but I knew he was a policeman. 

‘I was shocked to see the police. They set up a tent and have been digging up the garden.’  

Marketing executive Sarah, 33, had ‘vanished into thin air’ after leaving a friend’s house in Clapham, south London at around 9pm on Wednesday, March 3.

Until last night officers and volunteers had been focusing their efforts on searching grasses and ponds on Clapham Common.

But there was a switch in attention last night as teams traveled 80 miles away to Kent to make their arrest.

Her stunned uncle Nicholas told MailOnline: ‘It’s shocking and very upsetting. We were not expecting a development like this and it’s difficult to make sense of it.

‘I found out that a police officer had been arrested through the media last night. I spoke to my brother straight away and he was as shocked as me. The whole family is and all our friends. I spoke to him again this morning and we are waiting for an update from the police.

‘The police are doing everything they can and we are grateful to them. We are expecting an update from them later today. I could never have imagined that the investigation could have taken such an unexpected twist.’

Wayne Couzens, 48, was being held today by colleagues in the…