The incident has been described as 'extremely unusual'.
A search has been launched after a man was caught on CCTV emptying a bag of blood onto the streets of Reading.
Police were called after blood was found on Broad Street, Duke Street and Jackson’s Corner in the town centre at around 7am on Tuesday morning.
CCTV footage captured a man walking along Broad Street at 2.35am carrying a white plastic bag with a quantity of liquid inside, Thames Valley Police said.
It showed him emptying the bag onto the ground as he passed John Lewis.
Following the discovery, the area was closed off while forensics officers gathered evidence from the scene.
Police have confirmed the liquid is blood and tests to establish its nature and where it came from are ongoing.
The force has said there is no suggestion the blood came from an injured person and officers have found no evidence of anyone attending hospital with injuries or calling an ambulance.
Owen Parker-Brunt, manager of Wolf Italian Street Food in Broad Street whose CCTV camera captured the incident, told the BBC he watched the ‘extremely unusual’ footage with a police officer after arriving at work.
He said: ‘We both found it very strange, it was an extremely unusual thing to see.
‘I wouldn’t have wanted to see an assault or anything like that but at least it would explain what happened rather than the open-ended question most people are asking now.
‘I just hope the person in question is all right and gets whatever help they may need.’
Investigating officer detective inspector James Jackson, of Reading CID, said: ‘At this stage, there remains no suggestion of an injured party, as all checks with South Central Ambulance Service and the local hospitals have not located an incident that would suggest any injury.
‘As such, at this point, we do not believe the source of the blood is as a result of an assault, although we retain an open mind as to these unusual circumstances, and are carrying out a thorough investigation.’
Following the incident, police are appealing for anyone with any information or anyone who saw anything strange in the early hours of Tuesday morning to come forward.
‘I would also appeal directly to the man seen in the images to contact the force, as I would be keen to speak to him’, DI Jackson added.
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