'BODY parts' found over the weekend near the Bournemouth clifftops have sparked a murder investigation.

Forensics teams, police search advisors and a drone were all part of a major operation near Boscombe Overcliff Drive.

A huge cordon was set up on Saturday afternoon and remained in place through Sunday.

Access to the beach via the Manor Steps Zig Zag was blocked off with Boscombe Cliff Gardens also out of bounds.

A member of public is said to have found partial human remains on the zig zag shortly after 1pm on Saturday, and alerted police.

The grisly discovery has left people shocked.

Andy Hill, had been in Bournemouth on holiday staying with his partner and son.

He said: "[At] roughly half past three we came out, hoping to walk down the zig zag path. We were stopped by police. [We were] shocked by the amount of police cars.

"My mum's from Bournemouth, so I’ve been coming down here all my life. I haven’t seen anything like this before. It’s a shock, it’s a shame."

Meanwhile, Andrew Humphreys, from Bournemouth, had been at the beach hut with his partner and two children.

He said: "We came down to our beach hut at around half past two. Then we were advised that we would need to get down to the beach via a different route. We weren’t able to come down the actual zig zag.

"As we’ve been down here, we’ve just observed the police cordon go up and police officers in hazmat suits."

The Major Crime Investigation Team (MCIT) has been leading enquires.

Detective Inspector Neil Third, of MCIT, said: “We are treating this as a murder investigation and our enquiries are ongoing to establish the identity of the deceased and the circumstances surrounding their death.

“I am appealing to anyone with any information regarding this matter, or who has seen any suspicious activity around the area of the Manor Steps Zig Zag in Boscombe in recent days, to please inform police. Any information, images or other material can be uploaded to the Major Incident Public Portal that has been set up.

“A cordon remains in place at the scene while further detailed enquiries are conducted and I would like to thank members of the public for their patience and understanding while this is in place. There will continue to be an increased police presence in the vicinity and officers can be approached by members of the public with any information or concerns.”

Anyone with information is asked to submit it to the investigation team via the Major Incident Public Portal page at https://mipp.police.uk/operation/55HQ23M99-PO1. If you are unable to submit information online, please call 101 quoting occurrence number 55230135228. Alternatively, independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously online at Crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling Freephone 0800 555 111.