A council press officer who worked as a journalist for the Daily Mirror has been arrested as part of a police investigation into corrupt payments to public officials.

Greig Box Turnbull, 37, started working at Richmond Council in April this year and handled media queries about environment issues.

Scotland Yard detectives arrested him at his home, in Morden, early this morning on suspicion of corruption, conspiracy to commit bribery and conspiracy to cause misconduct in a public office.

He had worked at the Daily Mirror since 2004 before getting the senior media officer job. He was based at the council’s headquarters in York House, Twickenham.

A spokesman for Westminster City Council, which employed Mr Box Turnbull and put him on secondment to Richmond Council, said it had not spoken to him since police arrested him this morning.

He said: “We are obviously aware of the police action but we are yet to speak to the individual involved.

“In light of that and the possibility of further legal action, it would clearly be inappropriate to comment further.”

Police also arrested a 46-year-old prison officer at his home in south-east London and a 50-year-old woman at a railway station in Kent, as part of operation Elveden, the Metropolitan Police’s investigation into journalists allegedly making illegal payments to public officials.

Officers took Mr Box Turnbull into custody in a London station.

He can be held for 36 hours before police must either charge him or release him.

Police carried out all three arrests between 6am and 8am. The Independent Police Complaints Commission has been supervising operation Elveden in conjunction with operation Weeting, the Metropolitan Police’s inquiry into phone-hacking.