An officer has been removed from the inquiry into Milly Dowler's murder by Surrey Police after it claims emerged that information was leaked to the News of the World.

It was confirmed that the detective was taken off the case after complaints he had mishandled confidential data.

Thirteen-year-old Milly disappeared as she walked home from school in Walton-on-Thames in 2002. Levi Bellfield was convicted of her murder in June 2011.

Surrey Police said the officer received "words of advice" over the complaint.

It said there no evidence that the detective constable had leaked any information to the News of the World, but is is known that he had discussed aspects of the investigation to a retired police officer friend.

The News of the World was shut down over its repeated phone hacking scandal, and News Corporation chairman Rupert Murdoch apologised to the Dowler family earlier this month after it emerged that even the murdered schoolgirl's mobile phone was hacked by the paper in 2002.