The serial killer Levi Bellfield has been blocked from having a civil partnership, after a new law came into force stopping the most serious offenders getting married behind bars.

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

It is understood he had recently submitted an application for a civil partnership, which is believed to have spurred the government on to bring the previously announced restriction in from Friday.

Previously, Bellfield had applied to marry his girlfriend and sought legal aid to challenge a decision to block his marriage.

It was reported at the time by the Sun that he had been 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 application to get married but had submitted a new application for a civil partnership in recent months.

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 those serving whole-life orders.

Previously such 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.

The 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.

Bellfield received a whole-life sentence for the murder of McDonnell, 19, in 2003, Delagrange, 22, and the attempted murder of Sheedy, 18, in 2004.

He was already serving his sentence when he went on trial for killing 13-year-old Milly, who was snatched from the street walking home from school in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, in March 2002.

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