ARCHAEOLOGISTS are making no bones about the latest grisly discovery in York city centre - human remains.

The macabre find was unearthed only inches under the feet of unsuspecting shoppers.

But a murder investigation has already been ruled out by detectives who are confident the find has no skeletons in its cupboard.

British Telecom workers found the bones at the corner of King's Square and Colliergate, 20 centimetres below street level and in a two metre-square hole.

Russell Marwood, excavation assistant for York Archaeological Trust, was called in by police to help remove the bones.

Mr Marwood believes they were buried in the cemetery of the former Holy Trinity, King's Court, commonly known as Christ Church, which was sited in King's Square before being pulled down in 1937.

He is certain the bones had been dug up before and then put back in their makeshift grave.

He said: "We cannot date the bones at the moment and we do not intend to do so, but it seems very likely they are from the 19th century."

Experts have not ruled out the possibility they form part of more than one skeleton.

Mr Marwood said: "Part of a skull and all the major bones were found, but we cannot state the sex. It may be that they are parts of several skeletons."

The trust is now in discussion with the coroner in York as to what will happen to the bones.

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