Bones found at a building site on the grounds of a former care home have been found to date back 1,400 years to the 7th century.

Workmen made the grim discovery while clearing the site of Catherine Dalley House in Melton Mowbray, Leics., on October 17 last year.

Police were called to the location off Scalford Road and cordoned off the scene while specialist forensic examinations could take place.

Enquiries were then carried out by archaeological experts to determine the length of time the bones had been in the ground.

Carbon dating has now pinpointed the human remains as being from the Anglo Saxon period between 635-685AD.

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The bones are now being passed onto Cotswold Archaeology Ltd for further research to be carried out into the historic discovery.

Detective Inspector Tim Lindley, of Leicestershire Police, said: "During the past couple of months, we have been carrying out enquiries with contractors at the site as well as with a team of archaeologists.

"This has been a lengthy process to establish the facts but carbon dating has now dated the bones to the period between 635-680AD.

"Cotswold Archaeology Ltd will now carry out their own research into the history of this finding."

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Neighbours at the time speculated the bones would have been there longer than the building itself and described the find as "eerie".

Hilary Lawrence, 65, a former history teacher, who lives opposite the site, said: "There's usually a grinding sound coming from the site but then there was silence. It was eerie.

"We haven't got a clue who it is. Where the tent is was the car park from the old people's home. I would imagine [the bones] pre-date the home.

"I'm thinking they are going to be old bones and not from the inmates."

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Keith Hallam, 82, a retired building contractor, said: "They were just under the surface.

"They were small people's bones but, they didn't know whose. I don't know if this is associated.

"The bones could be from the 1800s. Catherine Dalley was a hunting lodge then."

Gareth Jones, 78, retired, said: "I've never heard anything about the nursing home. The bones could be more than 100 years old.

"There's never been any murders, disappearances or unsolved crimes and I've lived here 50 years.

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"There used to be two police houses over the road. It wouldn't have been a good place to dump a body."

A multi-million-pound project had been underway at the site to build 50 retirement bungalows and apartments.

The 31-bed care home, which was run by Leicestershire County Council. was closed in 2016 after it revealed it would cost £315,000 to upgrade.

The site was vacant for two years before planning permission was granted and builders began demolishing the buildings.

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