Investigations are underway into how two legs ended up at a Newcastle waste management centre.

Police were called to the Sumerhill Waste Management Centre, in Wallsend, on Tuesday afternoon after a worker found two legs protruding from a pile of rubbish.

Examinations determined that the legs had been surgically removed.

Blood vials and syringes were also found and were removed from the site for forensic examination.

Police said the incident was not being treated as suspicious.

But the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) is investigating the "inappropriate disposal" of the body parts at the waste centre.

In a statement, the EPA said it was working with public and private health services to establish where the material had come from.

Newcastle Council, which owns the centre, is also assisting with investigations.