Search after human tissue found

A BUSY road was closed by police for much of the day yesterday following the gruesome discovery of congealed blood together with what is thought to be hair and scalp tissue.

Police were contacted shortly before 9am after a member of the public made the discovery of what he thought was a pool of congealed blood together with what appeared to be a clump of long brown hair attached to tissue on the A146 road at Beccles.

Initial tests revealed that the blood was human and the area is being treated as a crime scene.

Police cordoned off part of the road, close to the Morrisons supermarket on the edge of Beccles.

The A146 is one of the busiest roads in the area and links Norwich, Beccles and Lowestoft.

Traffic was diverted through Beccles and much of the town was gridlocked for long periods.

Despite extensive searches of the area mystery still surrounds the discovery.

A team of police officers carried out a detailed search of the area, the Suffolk police helicopter flew overhead with a thermal imaging camera and coastguards carried out searches along the nearby River Waveney but there was no trace of an injured person.

Police officers have not received a report of a collision in the area and checks with ambulance and local hospitals have not revealed any potential casualties who may have been involved.

Detective Chief Inspector Phil Aves, eastern area crime manager, said: "The amount of blood and tissue that we have found would indicate that the person involved has extremely serious, if not life-threatening injuries.

"It is imperative that we find them as soon as possible."

Det Ch Insp Aves appealed for members of the public to help solve the mystery.

"The A146 is a well used road and I would ask anyone who saw anything unusual when using the road in the last 24 hours to contact us as a matter of urgency," he said.

The road is being treated as a potential crime scene and it will not be re-opened until police and collision investigators are satisfied that they have recovered all material that may be relevant to their inquiries.

Police are appealing to anyone who may have been involved in a collision in the area or has information about the incident to contact them on 01473 613500.