Two men arrested in Scotland in connection with the rape and murder of a young mother in Northern Ireland 30 years ago have been released.

Lorraine McCausland was found beaten to death after she had spent a night out in a loyalist club in Belfast.

One other man was arrested in England on Wednesday while a further four suspects were detained in Northern Ireland on Thursday - two in Belfast and two in Antrim.

The ages of the seven ranged from 49 to 59.

Their release comes pending a police file being assessed by prosecutors.

The body of the 23-year-old mother-of-two was discovered beside a stream in the Forthriver area of north Belfast in the early hours of March 8 1987.

She had been for a night out and was last seen in a nearby loyalist club at Tyndale.

The case was reopened last year after detectives identified "potential new lines of inquiry".

Fourteen arrests were made during the original police investigation but no one was charged.

Members of the paramilitary Ulster Defence Association were suspected of killing Ms McCausland.

Police believe witnesses have long been fearful of coming forward due to the involvement of the violent group.

Ms McCausland's son, Craig, was murdered in north Belfast in 2005 during a spate of killings linked to a loyalist paramilitary feud.

Announcing the release of the seven men, a Police Service of Northern Ireland spokesman said a file of evidence would be sent to Northern Ireland's Public Prosecution Service.