Suspected human remains found at Westward Ho! beach and Appledore

Suspected human remains have been found on Westward Ho! beach and on the coastline at Appledore.

Police were called at around 9.30am yesterday (Thursday, May 22) when the initial discovery was made and temporarily cordoned off the area.

It is understood an image was posted on local social media with the poster querying if the object was an animal or part of an animal, but the post was later removed.

A police statement provided to the Gazette this morning said they had also been notified of further suspected human remains found on the coastline at Appledore.

The statement added: “Officers attended both areas and have taken the items to be further examined.

“At this stage it is too early to comment and speculate further and we are asking the public to contact us and avoid posting images on social media if they spot anything concerning along the coastline.

“The public can expect to see an increased police presence along the North Devon coast between Appledore and Westward Ho! while our enquiries continue into this.”

A later statement from Sector Inspector Ewan Seear added: “Formal identification has yet to take place and as such, we are unable to confirm if both remains relate to the same individual. Both sets of remains are still unidentified at this time.

“We are asking people not to speculate online following yesterday’s events and in the event of any further discoveries to call us on 999.

“I’d like to offer some reassurance that there is no risk to the local community and the public may see an increased police presence along the coastline as investigation work is carried out.”

Police have asked people to call 999 if they find anything else of concern along the coast.