Severed human head found in field

Dozens of officers are reported to be at the scene

A body part found in a field close to a cemetery in Leicestershire is a human head, police have said.

The discovery was made on Tuesday in a field next to Hoby Road in Asfordby.

It came a day after police 80 miles away in Hertfordshire said walkers had found what is thought to be part of an arm in Drovers Lane, Wheathampstead.

That discovery was linked to a leg found in nearby Cottered. Police in Leicestershire said it was too soon to link their inquiry to any others.

Police said it was not clear at this stage whether the head belonged to a man or woman.

'Open mind'

Search teams will carry out an intensive search of the area and surrounding fields.

Det Supt Julia McKechnie, who is leading the investigation, said: "Our main priority in the initial stages is to determine the identity of the person involved.

"This will largely be determined by the forensic investigations which could take some days to complete.

"In the meantime we're looking into the circumstances surrounding the discovery, but are keeping an open mind as to why and how the head came to be in the field.

"It is too early to confirm whether it is linked to any crime or investigation being undertaken by colleagues in other forces, but we are naturally liaising with other forces as you would expect in an inquiry of this nature."