THE human bones unearthed at a rubbish dump near York are archaeological, police have revealed.

A pathologist and an archaeologist who have been studying the bones, which were discovered last Thursday, have concluded they are archaeological, but cannot say how old they are. The police investigation into the finds at Towthorpe civic amenity site, near Strensall, has now closed and the disposal of the bones is now in the hands of York's Coroner, Donald Coverdale. But a coroner's officer said there would not be an inquest with such a find.

A digger operator made the original grim discovery of a variety of human bones while carrying out drainage work. The area was then declared a crime scene and specialist police search teams and forensic and pathology experts were drafted in to scour the site. It was during this investigation that more bones were unearthed.

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said: "The disposal of the bones is now a matter for the coroner, who is aware of the find."

Updated: 11:09 Wednesday, April 03, 2002