Two severed human legs have been found in a rubbish dump in Australia.

An employee made the grisly discovery after spotting the legs protruding from a pile of rubbish on Tuesday afternoon.

"It appears the legs were surgically removed and may have ended up there by mistake," police said.

Medical waste including syringes and blood vials were also found at the rubbish site in Newcastle in the state of New South Wales.

Officers said they did not know if the legs belonged to the same person but they did not believe a crime had been committed.

The environment agency and local authorities are now investigating.