Excavation work will take place at a café in Gloucester after police found new evidence in the search for a suspected victim of serial killer Fred West.
Gloucestershire Constabulary made the announcement on Monday night after blue material - feared to be from the coat of 15-year-old Mary Bastholm - was discovered in the cellar of the Clean Plate café in Gloucester.
"The detective leading the investigation at the Clean Plate café in Gloucester says that excavation work will now take place following assessments at the scene," a spokesperson said.
"On Friday 7 May officers were called to a café in Southgate Street by a production company filming a documentary. They reported how they had found possible evidence to suggest a body could be buried within the property, which in the past has been linked to the disappearance of 15-year-old Mary Bastholm, who went missing in 1968.
Advert
"One of the findings presented to police was a photo taken by the production company of what appeared to be blue material buried in one area of the cellar."
Mary went missing on her way to catch a bus to visit her boyfriend in Gloucester in January 1968.
Advert
West, who died in prison in 1995 aged 53, has long been suspected over the teen's disappearance.
Along with his wife Rose, he tortured, raped and murdered an unknown number of women over a 20-year period.
The TV production team who contacted police are reportedly looking into claims that Fred and Rose West had more victims beyond those they were charged and convicted over.
Mary's brother Peter, who is believed to have died last year, has previously called on Rose West to reveal what happened to his sister.
Speaking in 2014, he told Sky News: "I think Rose knows exactly what happened to Mary because I assume she and Fred discussed it between themselves. Whether she will ever disclose it, I really don't know."
Mary's disappearance in 1968 was at a time when Fred West, who often did jobs in the street where she worked as a waitress in a café, was abducting girls in Gloucester.
Fred West is said to have confessed to killing Mary in conversation with his son, Stephen, but never admitted it to police.
Mary's body was not found during the 1994 excavation of the West's home, now known as the "House of Horrors", on Cromwell Street in Gloucester.
Fred West was charged with 12 murders, but took his own life in a Birmingham prison before his trial.
Rose West was convicted of 10 murders in November 1995 and is serving life.
Featured Image Credit: PA