An Australian man has been charged with a third murder over the so-called Claremont serial killings - one of the nation's longest-running mysteries.

Bradley Robert Edwards, 49, is accused by police of murdering Sarah Spiers, 18, who was last seen in Perth in 1996. Her body has never been found.

She was one of three women who went missing on separate nights in 1996 and 1997 in the suburb of Claremont.

Mr Edwards was charged in 2016 with murdering the two other women.

The disappearances of Ms Spiers, Jane Rimmer, 23, and Ciara Glennon, 27, have previously been described as Australia's longest-running and most expensive murder investigation.

Western Australia Police said the latest charge was a "significant development" in the case, but did not make further comment.

Long-running investigation

Ms Spiers went missing from a Claremont nightspot on 27 January, 1996, at the end of a night out with friends.

She had called a taxi, but when the driver arrived there was no sign of the teenager.

Ms Rimmer disappeared in same upmarket suburb on 9 June, 1996. Her body was discovered two months later in bushland about 45km (30 miles) south of Claremont.

Ms Glennon went missing on 14 March, 1997. She was found dead three weeks later near Eglington, about 50km away, in the city's north.

Despite a dedicated police taskforce and 10 independent reviews by crime experts, the disappearances frustrated police for nearly two decades.

Authorities said they made a breakthrough in 2016, when they arrested Mr Edwards over the murders of Ms Rimmer and Ms Glennon.

Mr Edwards will face a court in Perth on Wednesday.