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Serial killer Levi Bellfield has been blocked from having a civil partnership under a new law that stops the most serious offenders getting married in prison.

Bellfield is serving two whole-life sentences for the murders of Milly Dowler, Marsha McDonnell and Amélie Delagrange, as well as the attempted murder of Kate Sheedy.

He had previously applied to marry his girlfriend and made a bid for legal aid to challenge a decision to block the marriage in 2022.

Bellfield recently submitted an application for a civil partnership, which is believed to have prompted the government to authorise the restriction from Friday.

The new law, which is part of the Victims and Prisoners Act, aims to "deny the most heinous criminals from enjoying the important life events they callously took from their victims", the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said.

It applies to killers who are serving whole-life orders, which includes Wayne Couzens and Lucy Letby.

In 2008, Bellfield was found guilty of the murders of 19-year-old Marsha McDonnell and 22-year-old Amélie Delagrange, and the attempted murder of 18-year-old Kate Sheedy, and sentenced to life imprisonment.

He was already serving his sentence when he went on trial for the murder of Milly Dowler, 13, who was kidnapped from the street while walking home from school in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, in March 2002.

He was found guilty of abducting and killing her following a trial at the Old Bailey in 2011.

In 2022, The Sun reported Bellfield was engaged to a woman who had begun writing to him before becoming a regular visitor.

The paper also reported that he had won a bid to be granted up to £30,000 in legal aid after his lawyers cited the European Convention on Human Rights and the 1983 Marriage Act.

It is understood he withdrew his marriage application in recent months and submitted a new one for a civil partnership.

Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: "Victims should not be tormented by seeing those who commit the most depraved crimes enjoy the moments in life that were stolen from their loved ones.

"That is why I have acted as soon as possible to stop these marriages and give victims the support they deserve."

The Lord Chancellor will retain the right to permit ceremonies in the most exceptional circumstances, the MoJ said.

Prior to the new law, prisoners could make a formal application for marriage or a civil partnership and could only be refused by a prison governor on the grounds of security concerns.

Previous notorious prisoners, including violent offender Charles Bronson, have been granted permission to marry while behind bars.

Bronson married former soap actress Paula Williams in 2017.