A British man has been arrested in Spain in connection with 30 alleged rapes and sexual assaults on teenage girls committed in the 1970s.

The suspect, named in Spain as Michael Anthony Dugdale, is believed to have been arrested after an alleged victim recently contacted Lancashire police.

A Spanish police squad that specialises in the hunt for fugitives, including ex-Nazis, tracked him down. Working on a tip-off, officers found him in the small town of Mazarrón.

Mr Dugdale was living quietly in a housing complex popular with British expatriates near Cartagena, in southeast Spain. He is believed to have lived there for a number of years.

He has been arrested in connection with a series of rapes and sexual assaults in Penwortham, near Preston, between 1976 and 1979. Most of the alleged victims were girls aged between 12 and 14. One was said to have been pregnant at the time she was raped.

In a joint operation between British and Spanish police, the 59-year-old was arrested under a European arrest warrant this week. Lancashire police said that officers were planning to travel to Spain next week to bring the suspect back for questioning.

“He was arrested on a European arrest warrant and a couple of our officers will be going out to Spain next week. He will face questioning over a number of allegations involving sexual offences,” said a spokesman.

A British police source told The Times that an alleged victim had come forward after many years and made a complaint, which was followed up.

A Spanish source said: “The arrest happened near a home where he was staying.”

He has been sent by judicial authorities from Cartagena to Madrid. It is likely that he will be extradited to Britain soon.

The source added: “The process has to happen within 40 days but we cannot be precise as to when he may be extradited to the UK.”

Spanish police also said that Mr Dugdale had no history of offending in Spain.

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