POLICE are trying to establish whether human remains found in woodland near the River Wye belong to a man or a woman.

The body was found last Thursday afternoon (November 22) in Lancaut Nature Reserve, a few hundred yards from Mopla Road, Tutshill.

Gloucestershire Police say the body had been there for some time and local people claim to have been told by officers that the remains are at least eight years old.

The discovery was made deep in fenced-off woodland by a Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust ranger at around 3pm.

A ‘scene guard’ has been in place since then and is expected to be there for the rest of the week.

A police cordon has been placed through a clearing which is just yards from the Offa’s Dyke national footpath in an area known locally as the ‘windmill field’.

Local people have said the discovery was of ‘bones’ although that has not been confirmed by the police, and there is speculation locally that the remains may belong to a local man who was living rough in the same woods around 10 years ago.

A spokeswoman for Gloucestershire Police said on Monday (November 26) that it had not been possible to establish whether the person was male or female. The death is currently being treated as “unexplained.”

She added: “The body is believed to have been there for some time and we are still working to determine the gender of this person.

“The circumstances of the death are currently being treated as unexplained.”

“A scene guard remains in place and anyone with information is asked to call 101 quoting incident 256 of November 22.”

A local person told the Review that around a dozen police officers were searching the field late on Thursday afternoon.