Human remains found in car boot

The car was travelling along the M62 at Burtonwood

Cheshire Police have arrested four people following the discovery of bags of body parts in the boot of a car involved in a motorway crash.

The Volkswagen Polo was travelling along the M62 at Burtonwood near Warrington at 2200 GMT on Wednesday when it came off the road and went down the embankment.

Police examining the scene of the crash found the human remains and have launched a murder inquiry.

Three people in the car - a woman aged 41, and two men aged 46 and 33 - were arrested at Warrington General Hospital, where they were taken for treatment after the accident.

Houses raided

The woman and the 46-year-old man escaped serious injury and are now in custody and being questioned at police stations in Cheshire.

The second man sustained serious injury to his leg and underwent surgery earlier on Thursday. A hospital spokeswoman said he was in a stable condition.

As a result of the find Greater Manchester Police raided houses in Henley Street, Chadderton, and Hill Farm Close, Fitton Hill, Oldham.

One man was arrested and the house in Henley Street was sealed off for forensic examination.

Sources say they found traces of blood in the house.

A police spokeswoman said: "Following an investigation of the vehicle, it was identified that the car contained human remains. We are treating this as a murder inquiry."

Cheshire spokeswoman Jacqui Hanson said a Home Office pathologist had started what was likely to be a lengthy post mortem examination on the remains.

A stretch of the inside lane of the westbound carriageway of the M62 near Warrington remained closed on Thursday as scenes of crime officers examined the Volkswagen Polo.

Police have also issued a one-mile air exclusion zone around the site of the accident.

A spokesman said the downdraft from media helicopters was causing problems for forensic officers at the scene.