Builder describes finding human bones in the garden of a Northampton bungalow

A builder who discovered human remains as he dug foundations has described the moment he first came across what he realised was a leg bone.

Contractor Matthew Walsh and his brother were digging the foundations for an extension at a bungalow in Beechwood Drive in Northampton when he first saw the bones, and assumed they belonged to an animal.

"We were digging away and we noticed a few little bones but that's kind of normal, little animal bones are fairly common so at first we just assumed it was that - an animal," Mr Walsh told ITV News Anglia.

"Then we went a bit deeper it and started to be obvious there was something else down there.

"They were larger - they didn't look like they were from an animal at all. They were just too big.

"I think it was probably a leg bone that we first saw and knew we had to call the police."

Officers from Northamptonshire Police attended the bungalow and have since dug up the garden to extract the remains.

A forensic scientist and an archeologist were also called out as the bones were suspected of being of "archaeological significance".

Mr Walsh, who owns Walsh Builders in Northampton, said he thought the bungalows looked as if they were built in the 1950s.

The owner of the home was out of the house when the bones were found.

He said: "She got a bit of a shock when she came back home and the police were there and I had to tell her what we had found.

"I didn't feel shocked, really. I was just dealing with what was going on, a step at a time.

"I did think it was very intriguing though and I hope we find out soon how old they are and how they came to be there."

Northamptonshire Police said that tests would be carried out by a forensic pathologist to determine the age of the remains once all the bones had been recovered.Plans for the extension have been put on hold.