A healthcare worker is being questioned on suspicion of murdering eight babies and attempting to kill a further six, in the first police investigation into child deaths in hospitals in nearly 30 years. Cheshire police said the woman was arrested on Tuesday morning and taken into custody. Officers searched a semi-detached house about a mile from the hospital, north-west of the city. It is understood that the address is the home of Lucy Letby, a 28-year-old nurse. Police launched an investigation in May last year into the deaths of 15 babies and six non-fatal collapses at the women and children’s unit of the Countess of Chester hospital between June 2015 and June 2016. The force said on Tuesday the inquiry had widened to cover the deaths of 17 babies and 15 non-fatal collapses between March 2015 and July 2016. It is thought to be the most significant police investigation into child deaths in hospitals since the nurse Beverley Allitt, nicknamed the “Angel of Death”, was jailed for 30 years for murdering four children with lethal injections and attempting to murder three more in the early 1990s. DI Paul Hughes, who is leading the investigation, said: “Whilst this is a significant step forward in our inquiries it is important to remember that the investigation is very much active and ongoing at this stage. “There are no set timescales for this coming to a conclusion but we remain committed to carrying out a thorough investigation as soon as possible.” Police said the parents of all the babies involved were being updated and supported by specialist officers. Hughes said: “We recognise that this investigation has a huge impact on all of the families, staff, and patients at the hospital as well as members of the public. This is an extremely difficult time for all the families and it is important to remember that, at the heart of this, there are a number of bereaved families seeking answers as to what happened to their children.” Ian Harvey, the hospital’s medical director, said staff were supporting the police. “Asking the police to look into this was not something we did lightly, but we need to do everything we can to understand what has happened here and get the answers we and the families so desperately want,” he said. “The Countess is now equivalent to a level one special care baby unit and we are confident the unit is safe to continue in its current form.” Neil Fearn, the chief executive of Pryers Solicitors, the firm representing the families of two babies who died at the hospital, said: “We are hopeful that the investigation can provide answers for the families of these children. “The death of any child is a tragedy, but this is exacerbated in circumstances where questions remain unanswered. However, we are reassured that the investigation is still ongoing, and that there are further steps to be taken.” The Countess of Chester Hospital. Photograph: Anthony Devlin/Getty Images On a quiet residential street in the Blacon area of Chester, neighbours said they were awoken at around 6am on Tuesday morning when officers surrounded a three-bedroom semi-detached property. A silver car thought to belong to the healthcare worker was moved to the driveway of an empty house next door. Both homes were cordoned off by police tape and four Cheshire police vehicles were parked at the scene. On Tuesday afternoon a blue tent stood on the small front garden of the house and officers wearing blue forensic gloves were seen leaving the house with a large brown envelope. Michael Coupe, a former ambulance technician who has lived on the estate for the past 12 years, said everyone was shocked when they heard that an arrest had been made. “I came out of the house at around eight and saw them all around the house. With the big blue tent up we initially thought someone had been attacked but then everyone started talking about someone being arrested,” he said. “This is just such a horrible, serious thing that is going on. You never expect something like this to happen on your doorstep.” Other neighbours said the woman who lived at the address had not been there long and kept herself to herself. A photograph of Letby in her graduation robes and gown appeared in her local Hereford Times newspaper in December 2011, along with a note from her parents: “We are so proud of you after all your hard work. Love Mum and Dad.” Plain-clothed police officers were seen searching the house of her parents, Susan, 58 and John, 73, in Herefordshire following her arrest. A neighbour who did not want to be named said Letby was dedicated to her job. “She is an only child and I believe she got her job as a nurse from her studies at Chester University.” Another neighbour who wanted to remain anonymous said: “Lucy was just a quiet girl. Nothing strange about her – she was just a normal, lovely girl. The family must be in bits over this. “We’ve known Lucy since she was about three years old and she was lovely, she always has been. But this is just really shocking.” Two babies died in the unit in 2013 and three in 2014. There were eight deaths in 2015 and five in 2016. Last July the hospital stopped providing care for babies born earlier than 32 weeks after the review made 24 recommendations for improvements. An academic study published in June 2017 found that the death rate among babies at the hospital was at least 10% higher than would be expected at similar types of maternity units elsewhere. The authors of study – Mothers and Babies: reducing risk through audits and confidential enquires across the UK – looked at stillbirth and neonatal deaths occurring at 165 maternity units around the country in 2015. They found that the Countess of Chester hospital had the highest neonatal mortality rate of 43 similar-sized hospitals in Britain, with 1.91 deaths per 1,000 births, compared with an average of 1.27 at the other hospitals.<doc-sep>Chester nurse Lucy Letby. “My role involves caring for a wide range of babies requiring various levels of support. Some are here for a few days, others for many months, and I enjoy seeing them progress and supporting their families,” she told a Countess of Chester hospital newsletter. Photo: BBC<doc-sep>British authorities on Thursday dug up the back yard of a nurse suspected of killing eight newborns and trying to murder another six, according to local reports. Cheshire police scoured the home of neonatal nurse Lucy Letby, who was still being questioned as part of a probe into a string of baby deaths at the Countess of Chester Hospital between March 2015 and July 2016. Officers were spotted digging up Letby’s yard and conducting forensic searches of her drains, ledges, front yard and the garage of her semi-detached home where she’s lived for two years, the Daily Mail reported. A blue tent was pitched in the driveway and officers guarded the entrance to the house. The search started Tuesday, the same day the 28-year-old was arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder, officials told the Chester Standard. Detectives have been looking into the deaths of 17 babies and 15 nonfatal collapses at the hospital. A nonfatal collapse is when an infant’s health severely declines but the child survives. Police have also widened their investigation to the Liverpool Women’s hospital where Letby trained after graduating in 2011. “There is currently no suggestion that any patients at Liverpool Women’s came to any harm in relation to this investigation,” the Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust said in a statement Wednesday. Neighbors and friends couldn’t believe the “kindhearted” and “geeky” Letby, who they said often talked about her gig as a “dream job,” had allegedly gone on a baby-killing spree. Letby was also active in a $4 million fundraising campaign to build a state-of-the-art neonatal unit at the hospital.<doc-sep>A Liverpool hospital has launched a “routine review” of patients it cared for during the period where nurse Lucy Letby, who continues to be questioned in police custody on suspicion of the murder of eight babies and the attempted murder of six other infants. Liverpool Women’s Trust, it said it was cooperating with the ongoing investigation and there was “currently no suggestion” any patients came to harm at the trust. Letby was arrested as part of a police investigation into the deaths of 17 infants at the neonatal unit of the Countess of Chester hospital, Cheshire. Detectives said they were also looking at 15 non-fatal collapses at the unit between March 2015 and July 2016. Neither the trust nor Cheshire Police have confirmed the name of the healthcare worker under arrest but officers have searched Ms Letby’s home and interviewed her parents. “A healthcare worker currently involved in a police investigation undertook placements at Liverpool Women’s during their training,” a spokesperson for Liverpool Women’s Trust said. “We are cooperating with police as part of their investigation which includes a routine review of patients cared for on our Neonatal Unit during the time of these placements. “There is currently no suggestion that any patients at Liverpool Women’s came to any harm in relation to this investigation.” In a 2013 interview with the Chester & District Standard, Ms Letby said she cared for babies requiring various levels of support. She had worked on the unit at the Countess of Chester as a student nurse during three years of training before qualifying as a children’s nurse at the University of Chester in 2011. Ms Letby said she began working on the unit after graduating. Detectives launched an investigation into infant deaths at the hospital in May last year, initially looking at the deaths of 15 babies between June 2015 and June 2016 and this has now been widened. Detective Inspector Paul Hughes said: “Whilst this is a significant step forward in our inquiries, it is important to remember that the investigation is very much active and ongoing at this stage.” He added that the parents of all the babies were continuing to be kept updated and are being supported by specially trained officers. The Countess of Chester hospital had carried out a number of independent expert medical reviews into the deaths before calling in police. 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COLEEN Rooney gave birth to all her sons at a hospital where a nurse arrested on suspicion of murdering newborn babies worked, it has emerged. Lucy Letby, 28, is being questioned over the deaths at a neonatal unit in Chester - and also worked at Liverpool Women's Hospital on a placement. 7 Coleen Rooney with footballer hubby Wayne and their four boys, who were all born at Liverpool Women's Hospital Credit: Instagram Coleen, 32, had all her four lads with Wayne there. Police are investigating the suspicious deaths of a total of 17 newborns and 15 non-fatal collapses at the Countess of Chester Hospital between March 2015 and July 2016. Letby was arrested at her home in Chester on Tuesday on suspicion of eight murders and six attempted murders. She told a local paper in 2013 that she had recently worked at Liverpool Women's Hospital while training. 7 Police are said to have arrived at Ms Letby's home at around 6am, while officers were also seen at her parents' property in Hereford later on Tuesday Credit: Cavendish Press Coleen gave birth to second son Klay there in the same year, raising the possibility that they may have come into contact. Liverpool Women's Trust said it was cooperating with the police probe and had begun a review of patients treated there at that time. But they said there was no suggestion that any patients came to any harm. Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust said in a statement: "A healthcare worker currently involved in a police investigation undertook placements at Liverpool Women's during their training. 7 Lucy Letby is being quizzed by cops on suspicion of the murder of eight babies and the attempted murder of six other infants 7 Liverpool Women's Hospital is now involved in the investigation Credit: Google Maps "We are cooperating with police as part of their investigation which includes a routine review of patients cared for on our neonatal unit during the time of these placements. "There is currently no suggestion that any patients at Liverpool Women's came to any harm in relation to this investigation." However amid the investigation one friend said that Letby "wouldn't hurt a fly" and that nursing was her "dream job". The pal, who asked not to be named, said: "We're still reeling from it to be honest. 7 One friend said: 'You can't imagine her hurting a fly let alone defenceless babies' Credit: Cavendish Press "Even after sleeping on it I think everybody around here is still in a state of shock and disbelief. "Lucy was doing the job she dreamed of doing and appeared nothing but dedicated and professional. "You can't imagine her hurting a fly let alone defenceless babies." Another friend added: "She was quite awkward and geeky but seemed like a kind-hearted person." 7 An officer outside Letby's home yesterday Credit: PA:Press Association A blue tent erected by police remained outside the front of Ms Letby's semi-detached property in Westbourne Road, Blacon, with a uniformed officer stationed nearby. Cops launched an investigation into infant deaths at the hospital in May last year, initially looking at the deaths of 15 babies between June 2015 and June 2016. On Tuesday police said the probe had widened to include 17 deaths and 15 non-fatal collapses of babies between March 2015 and July 2016. Detective Inspector Paul Hughes said the arrest was a "significant step forward" in what was a "highly complex and very sensitive investigation". 7 A pal said: 'She was quite awkward and geeky but seemed like a kind-hearted person' Credit: Cavendish Press MOST READ IN NEWS 'GOBSMACKED' Queen 'gave Harry OK for Oprah series after misleading pitch about soldiers' ROD LIDDLE Ousting right-on National Trust boss is a victory against wokery DRUMMER DEAD School Of Rock star dies at 32 after being hit by car as Jack Black mourns HOUSE ABOUT IT You won't believe what this ordinary London home looks like on the inside Exclusive TOM'S LEGACY Captain Tom Moore — who raised £39m for charity — left family £73k in will JABS HOPE Scientists 'crack cause of blood clots linked to Covid jabs & know how to fix it' He added that the probe was "very much active and ongoing" and that parents of all the babies were being updated on the inquiry and supported by trained officers. The Countess of Chester Hospital carried out a number of independent expert medical reviews into the deaths before calling in police.