A group of women who say Sir Edward Heath abused them as children have also accused their parents of being involved in up to 16 murders.

The farce came as police probe incredible claims that the former prime minister was linked to a paedophile ring that killed as many as 16 children – which would make them the worst child murderers in British history.

The seemingly far-fetched allegations have been made by a family who allege that the politician was part of a satanic sex cult run by their own parents.

A group of women who say Sir Edward Heath abused them as children have also accused their parents of being involved in up to 16 murders

Police are probing incredible claims that the former prime minister was linked to a paedophile ring that killed as many as 16 children

They say that the cult regularly slaughtered children as ritual sacrifices in churches and forests around southern England and also participated in similar ceremonies in Africa.

They claim their mother and father – who is said to have known the former Conservative leader – were responsible for slaughtering children ranging from babies to teenagers – yet they evaded justice.

The paedophile ring – which they say Sir Edward was part of – stabbed, tortured and maimed youngsters in churches and burnt babies in satanic orgies before men, women and children gorged themselves on blood and body parts, police have been told.

But there is no suggestion that Sir Edward killed any children himself in the women’s accounts

If the bizarre allegations were to be proved, the parents who allegedly led the killings would be responsible for murdering more children than Fred and Rose West.

They would also be on a par with Thomas Hamilton, who shot dead 16 children in the 1996 Dunblane school massacre.

The women’s lurid claims were dismissed by police in 1989 when they came forward. Sir Edward’s name was never mentioned to police at the time. It was only last year that he was named for the first time after one of the claimants said she had ‘remembered’ a man called ‘Ed’ was a prime mover in a network of paedophile abusers.

But there is no suggestion that Sir Edward killed any children himself in the women’s accounts.

Wiltshire Police have spent more than a year investigating the allegations as part of an inquiry that has cost taxpayers over £883,431 and irretrievably tarnished the reputation of the unmarried politician, who died in 2005, aged 89.

Last night Sir Edward’s godson, Lincoln Seligman, said: ‘I understand that these claims from the 1980s were at the time dismissed as complete fantasy by police. It is disappointing that these wild allegations have been reheated and randomly attached to Edward Heath’s name.’

A Wiltshire Police spokesman said: ‘We are not prepared to discuss this as this is an on-going investigation.’