Human remains find near old Bolton hotel 'was a human skull'

Urban explorers Felicity and Daniel Duffy made the gruesome discovery in woodland near the old Egerton House Hotel in the early hours of Monday.

Police were soon alerted and the hotel grounds, deserted since the venue closed in 2014, have been sealed off since.

Senior officers now say the skull which the Duffys, who host their own paranormal online channel, was human.

But further tests will be required before they are able to say anything more about the remains.

Det Insp Debbie Hurst, of GMP's Bolton CID, said: "This was a very surprising discovery made in the early hours of Monday morning and we have been working ever since to establish the circumstances here.

"What we do know is that the item found has been confirmed to be a human skull, but it is still unknown how old the skull is and how long it has been at the location for - these enquiries by specialist forensic officers are ongoing and will be determined in due course.

"By the very nature of this discovery, we do understand some concern in the community and of course the sheer intrigue that this investigation brings with it, however we are confident that there is no threat to the public and that this isn’t currently linked to any other ongoing investigations.

"We are keen to establish the facts as soon as we can but the work that is ongoing must be conducted thoroughly and properly before we get to that stage.

"If anyone has any information about this discovery that could aid our enquiries we ask that they make contact with police."

Police say enquiries are underway to ascertain how the skull came to be in the area, but investigators do not believe that this is linked to any other investigations at this stage and are keeping an open mind.

Forensic analysis is said to be ongoing at the scene to establish the age of the skull and how long it has been there for - both of which currently remain unclear.

Specialist officers are continuing to search for any further evidence at the site, which is close to Egerton Park, but are yet to uncover anything further.

Local residents voiced their shock at the discovery today.

One couple walking next to Egerton park said it was "shocking" to hear.

They said: "We walk around here all the time, it's the last thing you'd expect to see.

"It's shocking to hear that it could be human, it's quite scary right near your home.

"It's been in a bad condition for ages (the hotel) but this is the last sort of thing you'd expect to see."

Bromley Cross councillor, David Greenhalgh, said he did not know much about the investigation, but that the building in general has been left to deteriorate to an “unacceptable” level.

He said: “The Council has secured the premises on occasion, but the owner has allowed the property to deteriorate to an unacceptable level. 

“The property is held very dear to a great many local residents, who have celebrated weddings and other special occasions there, and that is why we ensured a few years back, when we discovered it wasn’t a listed building, we had it recorded as a “building of significant interest”, to protect if from demolition.”