Mystery of human skeleton dug up at by workmen at Essex scrap yard

GRISLY: The former East Coast Salvage scrapyard (Google)

HUMAN bones have been dug up by workmen turning a former Essex scrapyard into a holiday park.

The grisly discovery was made as contractors cleared scrap metal from the former East Coast Salvage site at Cockett Wick Lane, St Osyth, near Clacton.

Essex Police believes the bones are from an elderly man and is treating the death as unexplained.

An Essex Police spokesman said: "Specialist officers continued to search the area and found the majority of what is believed to be the skeleton of an elderly man.

"Detectives are treating the death as unexplained and are searching the Essex missing persons records, whilst a forensic examination of the bones takes place."

BIRD'S EYE: An aerial view of the site where the bones were found

The site was sealed off by police after the discovery on Thursday.

Charles Hutley, 57, who lives on the farm next door said: "It has been a scrap yard since at least the 1950s, but has changed hands many times. They could turn out to be historical bones, but with it being a scrap yard for so many years you never know. There was a woman from Clacton who went missing ten years ago and was never found, but I believe they are saying this is a man."

Essex Police will get experts to age the bones and a post mortem examination is underway.