Excavations begin at Gloucester cafe for missing teenager Mary Bastholm
Blue material has been found under the cellar floor
Excavations begin today of a cafe in Gloucester where a missing teenager and suspected victim of serial killer Fred West may be buried.
Forensic archaeologists and anthropologists will begin by peeling off layers of concrete in the cellar of the Clean Plate cafe on Southgate street.
It's expected to last around two weeks however could be longer depending on any difficulties forensic teams encounter.
A TV documentary crew identified six areas of interest after they surveyed the area with GPS mapping equipment, cadaver dogs and endoscope cameras.
During their search they found 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.
This included an image of what appeared to be blue material buried in one area of the cellar.
"We're looking for cold, hard facts"
Mary was wearing a blue coat when she went missing.
Detective Chief Inspector John Turner said: "With the expertise of forensic archaeologists and anthropologists, they'll be taking off layer by layer in the areas of interest identified.
"They will meticulously sift through items to see if there's any significance of them.
"Over the past few days we've brought in structural engineers to make sure it's safe for us to do some work and we've had to risk assess some asbestos which has been found in some of the tiles".
Investigations are still in their early stages and the force are looking for "cold hard facts" which could connect the disappearance with Mary with serial killer Fred West.
He was known to visit the cafe regularly and even carried out renovation works on it when it used to be called the Pop-In cafe.
DCI John Turner added: "There is some speculation and folklore that's been going on for a number of years that Fred was involved with Mary's disappearance and potential death.
"Gloucester City has been a footprint there for hundreds of years and the site of the cafe is on ancient burial grounds.
"It's possible that we may find human remains that don't relate to Mary".
Mary’s family have been updated with this information and are supportive of the activity taking place. They continue to receive support from family liaison officers.
Hear the latest news on Downtown on FM, DAB, smart speaker or the Rayo app.