Bags of bones found dumped in a river are probably human remains, Suffolk police have said. Officers were called after the discovery in the River Stour between Meadow Gates and Croft Bridge in Sudbury on Thursday afternoon. A cordon has been put in place while the investigation continues. A police spokesman confirmed a second cordon was in place but was unable to give an exact location. Rob Jones, the assistant chief constable, told BBC Radio Suffolk it was too early to say if the remains, found near a submerged shopping trolley, had been dumped recently. He said: “It is very concerning when something like this is found. And in the early stages we have to keep a very open mind about what we have, and about the circumstances. “As we get the scientific information back, and as witnesses hopefully come forward, we build up a picture of what’s happened, and we’re able to direct our inquiries based on that information.” Jones said a wildlife ranger made the discovery and contacted police. He added: “These kinds of incidents are extremely worrying for anyone with families of missing people. We have a Home Office postmortem, which will look into that and help us ascertain what we have. “At this stage, we’re certainly treating them as most likely to be human remains.” Officers would like to speak to anyone who may have witnessed any suspicious activity close to the river. The force said: “Alternatively, anyone who has seen the bags in the river or knows how they came to be in the water, or who uses the route regularly, is asked to come forward with any relevant information.” Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.