Cops say decapitated head was from ‘man hit by train in tragic accident and could date back to the 1960s’

A SEVERED head found in a quarry belonged to a man who may have been hit by a train in a "tragic accident" up to FIFTY YEARS ago.

Police believe the head could have been lodged in a nearby bridge for years before coming loose when the structure was finally cleaned.

Experts from the Natural History Museum and forensic dentists are now working with police to determine who the person was and exactly how and when he died.

It is thought the victim was a man aged 30 to 50 who may have met his death as long ago as the 1960s but more likely around 10 years ago.

Detective Inspector Jerry Waite said: "One possible scenario we are looking at is that it may have been a tragic accident whereby the man was hit by a train along the Bedfordshire line.

"We believe the head may have been lodged somewhere along the structure of the bridge in Sharnbrook, and as part of the recent cleaning process, has been dislodged, found its way into the skip and deposited at the quarry in Mepal.

"We have been working very closely with anthropologists at the Natural History Museum in London to establish the age and gender of the deceased, as well as the National Crime Agency's Missing Persons Database, which unfortunately has not shown any DNA matches.

"I would urge anyone who has any suspicions around who this person may be to contact us."

A post-mortem examination was unable to determine the cause of death after a worker at the site in Mepal, Cambridgeshire, made the gruesome discovery on May 16.

At one stage it was though the head could belong to missing mum Natalie Hemming, but her body was later found in nearby woodland.

The severed head was discovered by a worker at the gravel quarry in Mepal, Cambs., owned by construction firm Mick George.