A LANCASHIRE vicar and his daughter arrested on suspicion of murder and the conspiracy to conceal the birth of a child have been re-bailed by police.

Reverend Jim Percival, 65, the vicar of Holy Trinity CE Church in Freckleton, was arrested with his daughter Ruth, 28, last December after the suspicious death of a baby boy.

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Lancashire Police confirmed they have been re-bailed until January 11 next year pending further inquiries.

They were initially arrested after police were called to an address in Freckleton, believed to be the vicarage, shortly before 6pm on November 25, following a report that a woman had given birth to a stillborn baby.

Police said following "numerous inquiries" the death of the baby boy was being treated as suspicious.

A post-mortem examination proved inconclusive, with further tests being carried out to try to establish exactly how the baby died.

The Diocese of Blackburn has been offering pastoral support to the Freckleton community since the arrests.