The former British intelligence officer behind the “dirty dossier” on Donald Trump has broken his silence.

Christopher Steele, co-director of the London-based Orbis Business Intelligence, said he was returning to work and thanked people for their support.

It comes two months after the Daily Echo revealed that Orbis has links to Hampshire.

The company has an office at Highland House in Mayflower Close, Chandler’s Ford, and Mr Steele’s co-director, Christopher Burrows, 52, lives in a large detached house in Winchester.

Speaking outside his firm’s offices in Belgravia, Mr Steele, 52, of Surrey, said: “I’m really pleased to be back here working again.

“I’m now going to be focusing my efforts on supporting the broader interests of our company here.

“I’d like to say a warm thank you to everyone who sent me kind messages and support over the last few weeks.”

Mr Steele, who was forced into hiding after he was named two months ago, read a prepared statement and did not wish to answer any further questions.

His company said it remained committed to the “secure provision” of services to clients.

The contents of the politically-explosive dossier on Mr Trump became public on January 10 when the entire 35-page file was published by BuzzFeed.

It contained claims that Russia possessed compromising information on Mr Trump that could be used to blackmail or exert pressure on the new president.

Mr Trump denounced the document as “fake news” and its veracity has been widely questioned, with Vladimir Putin himself saying it contained “obvious fabrications”.