Police have been called in by the BBC to investigate a sex scandal allegedly involving one of its star presenters.

A team from the BBC will meet detectives on Monday to assist with its investigation into the presenter who was suspended on Sunday.

It follows allegations that the male presenter paid £35,000 to a teenager in return for explicit images. The presenter cannot be identified for legal reasons.

In a statement, the BBC said on Sunday that the “male member of staff” was being taken off air pending the outcome of a “complex and fast-moving” inquiry.

The corporation said it was suspending the presenter in the wake of “new allegations” that were subsequently made public in The Sun newspaper.

In the statement, the BBC said: “The BBC takes any allegations seriously, and we have robust internal processes in place to proactively deal with such allegations.

“This is a complex and fast-moving set of circumstances, and the BBC is working as quickly as possible to establish the facts in order to properly inform appropriate next steps. It is important that these matters are handled fairly and with care.

“We have been clear that if – at any point – new information comes to light or is provided to us, this will be acted upon appropriately and actively followed up.

“The BBC first became aware of a complaint in May. New allegations were put to us on Thursday of a different nature, and in addition to our own enquiries we have also been in touch with external authorities in line with our protocols.

“We can also confirm a male member of staff has been suspended. We expect to be in a position to provide a further update in the coming days as the process continues. The BBC board will continue to be kept up to date.”

This is a breaking story. More to follow.