A woman has been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender as part of the investigation into the fatal shooting of a council worker.

The 48-year-old from St Helens is the fourth person to be arrested in connection with the death of Ashley Dale, 28, who was found with gunshot wounds in the back garden of her home in Old Swan, Liverpool, in the early hours of Sunday August 21.

A Merseyside Police spokesman said the woman had been taken to a police station for questioning.

Two men, aged 25 and 27, have been arrested on suspicion of Ms Dale’s murder and released on conditional bail.

A 21-year-old woman was also bailed after being arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.

Ms Dale, an environmental health officer for Knowsley Council, is not believed to have been the intended target of the killing.

Her death was one of three fatal shootings within a week in Liverpool, 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.

No one has been charged in connection with the deaths and police are continuing to appeal for information.