Officers were called to Rowdown Fields, New Addington, on 2 April shortly after 9am, after receiving a report of the discovery of "possible human remains".

The remains were sent away for analysis, before being confirmed as human.

Detectives currently believe they "belong to one victim".

However, the Metropolitan Police say officers are not yet in a position to release details about the person's identity.

"Samples have been sent away for urgent forensic analysis and I anticipate that a special post-mortem examination will take place later this week," Detective Inspector Martin Thorpe, from the Met Police's Specialist Crime Command, said.

"We are not going to give specific details on our search of the area, but I can confirm that since yesterday we have recovered further remains.

"After consultation with a forensic anthropologist, we are certain that these are human.

"At this time, our search is not complete, and so local people will continue to see officers in the area."

He added that the force's priority was now to confirm the identity of the victim.

"Until we are in possession of fuller facts, informed by the post-mortem examination, we are not in a position to confirm the person's age, ethnicity, or gender," he said.

"A family has lost their loved one, and as a team, we are focusing on finding them and securing the answers they will need to come to terms with their loss."

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Superintendent Lewis Collins, who looks after policing of the Metropolitan Police's South Area, including Croydon, described the discovery as "very disturbing".

"Over the last day or so, the community in our borough has pulled together to give officers the space they need to carry out this important work," he said.

"We are very appreciative of their support and we continue to ask that speculation on this case is kept to a minimum. We will keep people informed as soon as we have updates to share."

A crime scene remains in place in Rowdown Fields and enquiries are ongoing.

Officers are not searching any other sites at this stage, according to police.