Shipley wakes to news that police hunting missing prostitutes had found human remains in waterway

More on the Bradford killings, with video

As two tents remained pitched at the scene behind the riverside wall in Shipley, residents and businesses were waking up to the news that police investigating the disappearance of three prostitutes had been alerted to the discovery of human remains in the River Aire.

Just a few hours later, speaking from the scene off Dockfield Road, Assistant Chief Constable Jawaid Akhtar of West Yorkshire Police told a packed Press conference that a 40-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of the murders of missing Bradford sex workers Suzanne Blamires, Shelley Armitage and Susan Rushworth.

Earlier people who work in the street, which is a mix of businesses and stone terrace houses around 10 minutes away from the famous Salt's Mill, spoke of their shock at the find.

Andrea Davey, 34, who works in a sandwich van in Dockfield Road, said: "Everyone's talking about it, no one can believe it.

Lots of things go on down here, but not that. We saw the divers yesterday afternoon and on our way out it was all condoned off." As camera crews gathered, forensic work continued in the small industrial estate where the tent was set up at the scene behind a car showroom about five miles from Bradford's red light area.

Gary Lane, 55, of GL Autos in Dockfield Road, said divers were at the scene at around 11.30am on Tuesday.

He said:"We went to the Woodbottom Club to drop off a car.

The officer at the top would pass a white strip of paper to the divers, then a blue bag would come down and the divers put stuff in it and passed the blue bag back to the officers." A few miles away in Allerton in Bradford, where two of the missing women lived, there seems to have been little secret about what Shelley Armitage and Suzanne Blamires – also known as Amber – did for a living.

One man, who did not wish to be named said he knew all three women, adding Susan Rushworth was also known in Allerton.

"She had a flat in Manningham but she floated around her," he said. "All her associates were from around here." He said everyone in the area knew that they were "working girls".

"Amber used to get quite a lot of abuse from people, but Shelley would tell people straight if she got abuse. She would say, 'It's my life, it's got nothing to do with you, you do what you want, I will do what I want.' "She did not bother anyone.

She kept herself to herself. She did not really have a lot to do with people up here. She knew people up here and she spoke to them but I cannot say she got involved with anyone. Shelley was a cracking lass." Both Miss Armitage and Miss Blamires were said to live with their respective boyfriends One resident, who did not wish to be named, said that she had seen Miss Blamires last Friday in Barkston Walk.

She described the area, which was a mix of older and newer homes, as "lovely" many years ago but said it had gone downhill and claimed it was now home to drug addicts.

Another woman added: "We have had problems in Bentcliffe Walk with druggies. We have had the council up this morning because we are sick of it. They play music all night, shouting and balling, kicking a football at 3.30am, throwing litter all over the place." Neighbours had seen forensic officers in and around the home of Suzanne Blamires but by late yesterday afternoon, there was no open sign of police activity.