Three men held for questioning in a double murder inquiry have been released on police bail.

They were arrested yesterday after police revealed the suspected death of Jason Martin-Smith, who vanished last year, may be linked with the drive-by killing of former professional boxer Jimmy Millen.

The men, one in his 50s and two in their 20s, will return to Hastings police station on March 13 to meet bail conditions after being arrested on suspicion of murder during dawn swoops at addresses in the Hastings area.

They were being questioned in connection with the suspected killing of Mr Martin-Smith, 28.

Although no body has been found, detectives have received a tip-off that he was shot dead in Hastings last August shortly after he vanished.

Mr Millen, 27, was shot four times in the back by a pillion rider on a motorbike as he worked on his Fiesta XR2 last October in Tile Barn Road, Hastings.

Detectives have been stonewalled in their hunt to find Mr Millen's killers and one senior officer said a climate of fear in the Hollington area might be shielding his killers.

They said yesterday's arrests signalled a major step forward in the Millen murder inquiry.

In a further development, police have increased the reward for information leading to the conviction of those responsible from £10,000 to £25,000.

Detective Chief Inspector Kevin Moore, leading the investigation, said Mr Martin-Smith, formerly of Camberley, Surrey, vanished around August last year but had lived at different addresses in the Hastings area.

A police spokesman said: "There have been no confirmed sightings of him since then and we believe he may indeed have been the victim of a violent death."