A severed human head has been found in a Cambridgeshire quarry.

The head was found by a quarry worker at Mepal, between Chatteris and Ely, on Monday afternoon. It is not yet known whether the head was male or female.

Officers are also searching a site 40 miles away in Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire, where they believe the head came from. Police stressed the discovery at Block Fen Drove was of a head and not a skull and that they were trying to establish how long the remains had been there. It has been removed and is being analysed by the Cambridgeshire Coroner.

Det Insp Jerry Waite, from the Beds, Cambs and Herts Major Crime Unit (MCU), said: “We are conducting enquiries both locally and across the county borders, and would urge anyone with information about the finding to contact us. “At this stage we do not know if the head is male or female, however we have got officers carrying out searches at a site in Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire, as we believe this is where the remains may have come from.”

A forensics team has been at Mill Road, Sharnbrook, since Monday afternoon.

Mick George Ltd, which has an aggregates and landfill site at Block Fen Drove, said “We are working closely with the police and providing them with all the information they need to undertake their investigations. “At this point we cannot provide any further comments.”

A number of companies operate out of Mepal quarry, and many extract aggregates to be used in the construction industry. Police said the head was found at about 15:00 BST by a Mick George worker.