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THE FUGITIVE tycoon wanted in connection with the murder of his girlfriend in Paris was living rough in a Chelford quarry – near the homes of professional footballers and millionaires.

Ian Griffin, 39, who is due to be extradited in the next 48 hours, was snared by police in a secluded beauty spot by Dingle Bank Quarry, by the Lower Withington border and close to the home of former Manchester City and England footballer Trevor Sinclair.

Jamie Edwards, 39, the son of former Manchester United chairman Martin Edwards, also lives nearby.

Mr Griffin, who has been questioned in connection with the death of Polish-born socialite Kinga Legg in a £1,000-a-night Paris hotel, had been living rough in a tent close to Farmwood Pool, a sand quarry filled with water in Chelford, near Macclesfield.

Police surrounded Mr Griffin in dense woodland on Monday afternoon, carrying out a pincer movement to track him. Witnesses described how patrol cars hurtled up Holmes Chapel Road and then disappeared up a private access road beside the lake.

Others described how, at the same time, officers sped down nearby Peover Lane on the other side of the lake as a police helicopter circled overhead. Police on the ground then homed in to make the arrest.

He was arrested under Section 9 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. The section of the act covers any murder or manslaughter committed outside the UK.

A spokeswoman for Cheshire Police said: "He is due to appear before City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court, Horseferry Road, London, within the next 48 hours, where extradition proceedings will commence.

"The primacy for this investigation lies solely with the French authorities."

The area where he was arrested is known as a ‘millionaires’ row’. Former City winger Sinclair, who won 12 England caps, was on holiday at the time of the arrest.

Another large property on the lake, a thatched cottage, is the home of Mr Edwards, son of the former United chairman Martin. Edwards junior declined to comment.

Residents spoke of the moment police teams swooped to arrest gadget shop entrepreneur Mr Griffin, who has been at the centre of an international manhunt since Ms Legg’s body was found by a maid in a bathtub in a room at Hotel Le Bristol last Tuesday.

Craig Jackson, 24, said: "I was on my motorbike on Holmes Chapel Road. I could see the police pulling into the access road beside the lake. There were three cars that were pulling in and then two of the cars followed behind. I could see there was an aeroplane overhead."

A dog walker, who asked not to be named, added: "I was walking my dog just before it happened. I didn’t see anything. This is private property, but the owner allows me to walk my dog. It’s very dense woodland down there."

A post-mortem examination revealed Ms Legg, 36, died from internal bleeding as a result of her injuries. Mr Griffin allegedly fled the hotel in his Porsche 911 hours before her body was found.

It was always believed that he had returned to Cheshire after police found the car near his parents’ Warrington home. It is thought that he entered the country from France through the Channel Tunnel before an all-ports warning took effect.

The couple, together for three years, initially shared a home in Knutsford, Cheshire, before they moved to Surrey.

Mr Griffin built a string of businesses, including tanning salons and gadget stores, but it has been reported that he was declared bankrupt in 2006.

Ms Legg ran her family company, Vegex, which supplies tomatoes to British supermarkets and has a base in Surrey and in her home town in Poland, Opatowek.