A human skeleton has been found in a sleepy village home forcing police to launch an urgent probe.
The bones were discovered by a man attempting to landscape his garden, in Ancaster, Lancashire, neighbors have said.
Police vans, cars and forensics units descended on the small cul-de-sac of the street on Saturday afternoon.
A white tent erected in a garden of one of the 1960s homes could be seen on Sunday morning, with a police cordon still in place.
Neighbour Malcolm Lister, 82, said the owner of the home had not lived there long and was doing the house up.
‘I did not know them – they have not been there long. This is a quiet area – we know people by sight and one or two by name, other than that everyone keeps themselves to themselves.
‘There were initially two police cars and four vans here, the Crime Scene Investigation unit turned up too. They went in and had a look but we really do not know what’s going on.’
Ancaster – a settlement dating back to Roman times – is known in the local area for its rich history.
The main road running through the village is Ermine Street, with the discovery being just off this thoroughfare.
However, some residents were not convinced this would be an archaeological find. Mr Lister said he had been told by police that the bones were not ancient.
Another resident, who did not wish to be named, said the discovery was outside the perimeter of the Roman settlement.
Police said they did not know how old the remains are and a formal identification is yet to take place.
Maureen and Bill Higgins, 76 and 78, live next door to the grim discovery. They have lived in the area for four years and described it as ‘quiet’.
Bill said: ‘Nothing happens around here – we just hope it is someone who has been there for a long, long time. It could be Roman.
‘We just wondered what was going on when we saw the police. [The resident] has been sorting out his garden and he has dug up a few bones.
‘There was an older man who lived here before.
Another neighbour said the scene was like BBC drama ‘Silent Witness’.
‘I have lived here 16 years and nothing like this has ever happened before. Time Team have been here before, so I would say it’s probably Roman. It’s a quiet village,’ he added.
Police have not disclosed if any arrests have been made, only that an investigation is ongoing.
A visible police presence will remain near the scene as examinations occur.
Ancaster is a quiet village with a population of around 1,000.
A spokesperson for Lincolnshire Police said: ‘We are investigating after the remains of a human skeleton were discovered in Ancaster.
‘Officers were called to a property on Brookside Close, where the bones were discovered by members of the public.
‘At this stage, it is unknown how old these remains are, and formal identification is yet to take place.
‘There will be a visible police presence in the area as we continue to examine the scene.
‘We will release updates as and when we have them.’
Last Sunday, ‘the remains of a human skeleton’ were discovered by a member of the public on land next to Festival Park in Stoke-on-Trent.
Staffordshire Police have drafted in the help of an anthropologist, a botanist, and an archaeologist as they look to formally identify the remains.
In their latest statement, they said: ‘Our investigation is ongoing and we’re working hard to progress a number of inquiries to help us identify the remains and how they ended up there. We are currently treating this as an unexplained death.’