A female healthcare worker has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of eight babies and the attempted murder of another six babies after an investigation of the neo-natal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
The arrest comes as part of a long-running police investigation following a high number of baby deaths at the hospital, initially between June 2015 and June 2016.
Cheshire Police said the investigation had since widened and they are now looking into the deaths of 17 babies and 15 non-fatal collapses between the period of March 2015 and July 2016.
Police have not said if the arrested woman is a nurse, doctor or other health professional.
They have been searching a property on Westbourne Road in Chester as part of the inquiry.
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Detective Inspector Paul Hughes, who is in charge of the investigation, said: "The investigation into the neonatal unit at The Countess of Chester Hospital is continuing. Since it was first launched in May 2017, a dedicated team of detectives have been working tirelessly on this case.
"This is a highly complex and very sensitive investigation and, as you can appreciate, we need to ensure we do everything we possibly can to try to establish in detail what has led to these baby deaths and collapses."
He said when the investigation was first launched it focused on the deaths of 15 babies between June 2015 and June 2016, and also included a review of six non-fatal collapses during the same period.
DI Hughes said the investigation was later widened and the deaths of 17 babies and non-fatal collapses of 15 others between March 2015 and July 2016 are being investigated.
He said specially trained officers were liaising with the parents involved.
"This is an extremely difficult time for all the families and it is important to remember that, at the heart of this, there are a number of bereaved families seeking answers as to what happened to their children."
The hospital carried out a number of independent expert medical reviews into the deaths before calling in police.
Medical director Ian Harvey said: "We are continuing to support Cheshire Police with their ongoing investigation.
"Asking the police to look into this was not something we did lightly, but we need to do everything we can to understand what has happened here and get the answers we and the families so desperately want.
"The Countess is now equivalent to a Level 1 special care baby unit and we are confident the unit is safe to continue in its current form."
A report published in July 2016 by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) found significant gaps in medical and nursing rotas and insufficient staffing for the provision of longer term high dependency and some intensive care.
The RCPCH report said paediatric consultants had been concerned since June 2015 about a higher than usual number of deaths on the ward, several of which were "unexplained" or "unexpected".
The hospital appeared as busy as ever today with dozens of patients, staff and visitors coming and going from the vast site in Chester.
However security guards were on patrol and stationed near hospital entrances as a growing media pack arrived close to the main entrance.
Hospital officials said they will not be making any further statements.
