British prostitute killer hunt focused on 5 suspects

Detectives want to talk to a taxi driver, a businessman and a man with a liking for outdoor sex, all of whom were clients of Tania Nicol, one of the dead working girls, the Sun newspaper reported.

They are increasingly confident that they are closing in on the killer terrorising the sleepy town of Ipswich, in eastern England, after the discovery of five bodies in ten days, according to the Times.

One man, described as "very interesting" by an unnamed senior police source, has come to the fore of the probe, the Times said, adding that sex offenders and people associated with the drugs trade are also being investigated.

The victims have been confirmed as Nicol, 19; Gemma Adams, 25; Anneli Alderton, 24; Paula Clennell, also 24; and Annette Nicholls, 29.