A man was arrested today over the suspected murder of Melanie hall, who disappeared 14 years ago.

Avon and Somerset Police said a 39-year-old was held on suspicion of the murder of Miss Hall, who disappeared in Bath in 1996.

The man, from Wiltshire, was arrested at 4pm after he went voluntarily to a police station, a spokesman said. He is in custody and being questioned.

Miss Hall, from Bradford on Avon, went missing following a night out in Bath in June 1996. Her remains were discovered at the side of the M5 motorway last October.

On July 1 a 38-year-old Bath man was arrested on suspicion of her murder and disappearance, and was later released on bail.

Detective Chief Inspector Gareth Bevan, of the murder inquiry team, described today's arrest as an important step but stressed that the investigation is still going on.

He said: "Since Melanie's body was found last October, the investigation team has continued to work tirelessly, following up new information we have received and revisiting the previous investigations that followed Melanie's disappearance from Walcot Street in June 1996.

"An additional 250 statements have been taken and 1,200 new tasks and investigative actions have been completed. Today's arrest was one such action."

He said Miss Hall's parents, Pat and Steve Hall, were always kept informed and were aware that police had made an arrest.

He said: "The murder inquiry team remains active, positive and determined to find Melanie's killer or killers and bring them to justice.

"I repeat our appeal for anyone with information to contact the murder incident room on 0117 9455811 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111."

Miss Hall, 25, was last seen at Cadillacs nightclub, in Walcot Street, on June 9 1996.

Her remains were found last October near junction 14 of the M5 in South Gloucestershire by a workman clearing vegetation.

The psychology graduate was on a night out with friends and her boyfriend of three weeks, Dr Philip Karlbaum, who left the club "upset"

after seeing her dancing with another man.

Miss Hall, who worked as a clerical officer in the orthopaedic department at Bath's Royal United Hospital where she met Dr Karlbaum, was last seen sitting on a stool near the dancefloor shortly after 1am.

Thousands of nightclubbers and taxi drivers were interviewed in an investigation involving 60 officers and several searches of the River Avon, but no trace of Miss Hall was found.

That was until last October, when her remains were discovered hidden under five plastic bags. A ring which had been in her family for generations was also found.

Miss Hall's parents spoke of their "untold anguish" shortly after officers confirmed the human remains found by the motorway were those of their daughter.

Mr Hall, 65, a former chairman of Bath City, said he needed to know how his "vibrant" daughter became a "bag of bones".

Mr Hall said the killer was probably watching and urged the public to help.

He said: "People out there know, they've lived with that secret for 13 years - now I'm appealing for the person who knows to come forward.

"Thirteen years ago we had a young vibrant daughter with a bright future in front of her. Today we have a bag of bones discarded here on the side of a motorway."

Mrs Hall added: "I feel very angry that she has been dumped on the side of the road like a sack of garbage."

In 2003, police arrested two men in connection with Miss Hall's disappearance but they were released without charge after police searched buildings and a field near Bath.

The police case was never closed and detectives looked at possible links with the case of estate agent Suzy Lamplugh and the so-called "Batman rapist" - a serial sex attacker in Bath who has evaded capture for years.

Shortly after Miss Hall's remains were discovered, a 37-year-old man turned himself in to a police station in Greater Manchester in connection with the murder, but he was eliminated from police inquiries after undergoing psychiatric tests.