Gloucestershire police rejected a 2012 petition asking them to search The Oasis Cafe, now Clean Plate, for a missing teenager feared murdered by Fred West, where evidence of a body was found on Friday.

After pursuing 250 leads into the disappearance of Mary Bastholm and interviewing 100 people, then Chief Constable Tony Melville told petition organisers there was "simply no evidence to support the idea that Mary is buried in that location."

But police have been searching the café this week after Sir Trevor Mcdonald and an ITV film crew detected evidence of human remains using sniffer dogs and ground-penetrating radar while filming a documentary on Fred and Rose West.

“The Fred West inquiry was the biggest investigation the Constabulary has ever undertaken but also the most harrowing and we are proud of the professionalism, dedication and sensitivity shown by all those who were involved in it at the time,” said a Gloucestershire Police spokesperson in a statement.

They said the reasons behind the 2012 decision were documented in an open letter from former Chief Constable Melville.

“In the letter he addressed all the points that had been raised. He also stated that if any fresh evidence came to light, Gloucestershire Constabulary would welcome the opportunity of reviewing it and taking appropriate action.

“Potential new evidence has come to light recently and we are currently carrying out extensive enquiries as a result.”

They added that despite their extensive enquiries, no evidence was found at the time to support arresting Fred West, who was interviewed 151 times, in connection with Mary Bastholm.

During his last interview at Gloucester Police Station on 13 May 1994, Fred West denied he had anything to do with the murder.

“The Constabulary's current focus is the potential evidence discovered by the production company at the Clean Plate cafe last week and that is where our resources are being directed.

"We plan to continue forensic assessments at the location until Monday, before a more considered decision around the extent of excavation can be made.”

Police have linked this week's investigation to Mary Bastholm, a teenager who went missing in 1968 while waiting for a bus and has never been found.