EVIDENCE that human sacrifice may have been practised in North Yorkshire in Roman times is to be shown as part of BBC2’s History Cold Case series next week.

The secrets of several human skeletons found in the Ryedale Windypits on the southern edge of the North Yorks Moors have been pieced together by a team of forensic anthropologists.

The bones are believed to date from the last century BC to the 2nd century AD.

Because of the way some of the bones were damaged and broken, their location in a cave and because other bodies in neighbouring pits have similar marks, the scientists believe they may have been ritually killed.

Graham Lee, senior archaeological conservation officer for the North York Moors national park, said: “Little is known about the origins of the skeletons found in the windypits and how they came to be there.

The programme will be transmitted on BBC2 at 9pm on Thursday.