Two sets of human remains discovered in Nottinghamshire garden

The remains of two people have been found in a garden, police have confirmed.

Nottinghamshire Police said the discovery was made by officers in the back garden of a property in Blenheim Close, Forest Town, near Mansfield, yesterday.

A spokesman said it is believed the remains had been there for some time.

Officers were led to the address after information came to light about an "incident" alleged to have taken place in the late 1990s.

The remains have yet to be formally identified.

Post-mortem examinations to establish the cause of death are due to take place today.

The scene has been cordoned off while forensic examinations are carried out.

A police spokeswoman at the scene said the current occupiers were not part of the investigation at this time.

She said: “They have been really supportive and understanding of the investigation.”

A neighbour, who did not want to be named, said she knew of an elderly couple who used to live at the house in the 1990s.

The 51-year-old, who did not want to be named but lives with her partner and 16-year-old son, said: “I only saw the man a few times. I never saw the lady or any family.

“I've lived here for 18 years. They were living at the house when I moved in.

“But they never had any visitors. I never saw anyone coming or going. My friend and I always used to say 'I wonder what happened to that couple'. They just disappeared. We thought they had emigrated.”

She said she believed the house then stood empty until the present occupiers moved in around seven years ago.

Speaking near the scene, Mark Webster, Neighbourhood Policing Inspector for the Mansfield North Neighbourhood Policing area, said the two bodies had been removed from the address.

He said it could take “several weeks or months” for formal identification to be completed.

Addressing the media, the officer said: “As a result of information we received in force last week we commenced a search at premises on Blenheim Close in the Forest Town area of Mansfield and yesterday we uncovered the bodies of two people.

“Forensic tests are taking place at this moment to identify who they are formally.”

The officer said the current tenant and the owner of the property had been “extremely helpful” and did not feature in their investigation at this time.

He refused to comment any further on the information they had received last week.

The officer also refused to rule out whether they were looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.

Asked whether they had made any arrests, the officer answered: “No, we haven't at the moment.”

Appealing for anyone with information to come forward, Mr Webster said: “If anyone in the Mansfield or surrounding areas knows anything that could help the police we'd be very grateful for anything that anyone can give to us.”

He thanked the residents of Blenheim Close for their help and support.

Reassuring the local community, the officer added: “We don't believe that there is any risk of any harm coming to the community.

“People are clearly going to be concerned when an incident of this nature happens and we would like to reassure them and we'd like to thank people particularly the local neighbours on Blenheim Close they've been really helpful to us.”