Wait for 'cocaine' haul results

A couple found the packages at Kynance Cove on Friday morning

Police in Cornwall say it will be next week before tests confirm whether packages washed up on two Cornish beaches contain cocaine.

The first packages were found in Bude on Thursday and on Friday several more were discovered on the Lizard.

All of the packages, which were wrapped in sacking, have been preserved and are being sent for forensic analysis.

If the packages do contain the class A drug, the seizure will have a street value running into millions of pounds.

Any similarities

"Until the results of this analysis is known, it is not possible to verify the contents or the quantity contained in the packages," a police spokesperson said.

HM Customs spokesman Bob Gaiger said a number of packages of drugs had been washed up on the South West coast over the past 10 years.

Forensic analysis of the two latest finds should be able to establish how long they had been in the water, and whether there were any similarities between the packages.

"But all these wash-ups are very difficult to pin down and investigate," he said.

Forensic examination may be able to throw some light on where the packages originated, he added.

The packages found at Kynance Cove on the Lizard were wrapped in layers of netting and plastic and contained individually wrapped packages.