A man has been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender as part of the investigation into the murder of a council worker.

Ashley Dale, 28, was found with gunshot wounds in the back garden of her home in Old Swan, Liverpool, in the early hours of Sunday August 21.

The Knowsley Council environmental health officer is not believed to have been the intended target of the killing.

Merseyside Police said a 22-year-old man from Liverpool city centre was arrested on Tuesday evening on suspicion of assisting an offender and conspiracy to supply class A drugs.

The man, who remains in custody, is the ninth person arrested as part of the investigation, the force said.

Ms Dale’s death was one of three fatal shootings which happened in Liverpool within a week, with nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel killed in her home in Dovecot on August 22 and 22-year-old Sam Rimmer shot in Dingle on August 16.

Police are continuing to appeal for information on a grey Hyundai i30 N car, shown in footage released last week in the Page Moss area before Ms Dale’s murder.

Detective Chief Inspector Cath Cummings said: “We now believe that this Hyundai i30 N car was driven in the areas of Dovecot and Page Moss during the evening of Ashley’s murder, including on Pilch Lane.

“As we look to gather all available evidence, I want to continue to appeal to anyone who lives in these areas and may have any information about this car.

“This might range from knowing who was driving, seeing someone being picked up, or capturing further images or footage on CCTV, dashcam or doorbell devices.

“We also need to know where the car is now.

“Please don’t assume that what you know or have captured is not important, or that someone else has already told us.”

Anyone with any information can also contact police via social media @MerPolCC or call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 quoting reference 22000615873.