A taxi driver has been charged with the murder of Sian O'Callaghan.

Christopher Halliwell, 47, who was arrested by officers in a swoop on a taxi rank in Swindon on Thursday, will appear before magistrates in the town tomorrow.

Miss O'Callaghan, a 22-year-old PA, disappeared from the Suju nightclub in Swindon, last Saturday.

Her body was discovered close to the Uffington White Horse on Thursday. It is believed it was dumped there several days after she went missing, as the media coverage and public hunt for her intensified.

In a statement, Wiltshire Police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said Halliwell was charged with Miss O'Callaghan's murder at 9.20pm on Saturday.

He was arrested on Thursday after police swooped on a taxi rank at an Asda supermarket in Swindon. A green Toyota Avensis with taxi markings was also taken from the scene.

Simon Brenchley, district crown prosecutor for the CPS in Wiltshire, said: "I have been working closely with Wiltshire Police and now have authorised them to charge Christopher Halliwell with Sian O'Callaghan's murder.

"I must remind the media to take care in reporting events surrounding this case. Mr Halliwell has been charged with a serious offence and is entitled to a fair trial. It is extremely important that nothing should be reported which could prejudice any trial. I will keep liaising closely with the police as their investigation continues."

Police officers and forensic experts continue to search a field near Eastleach, on the boundary of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire where they have found remains believed to be those of a woman killed between 2003 and 2005, whose identity has yet to be revealed.

As many as 10,000 people attended a lantern vigil for Sian at Swindon's Polo Ground on Saturday night. Chinese lanterns and balloons with messages of condolence were sent flying into the night sky.