French police have detained a husband and wife after discovering the corpses of eight new-born babies in the village of Villers-au-Tertre in northern France, police and judicial officials said.

The couple in their 40s have been held in custody since the bodies were found at two different sites in the village and a criminal investigation is under way, police said.

"Two people are being held in custody. They are the mother and father of the children," public prosecutor Eric Vaillant told Reuters.