Workmen building a patio at a family's home were stunned after digging up five human skeletons possibly dating back to the bubonic plague.
Shocked builder Robbie Kearney made the gruesome discovery while digging a hole at the house in Heytesbury, Wilts.
It is believed the five remains could be of three adults, one juvenile and a younger child. One of them is understood to be female.
Forensic experts are now working to establish the age of the bones, which police say could take several weeks, although they are believed to be hundreds of years old.
Builder Robbie Kearney made the grim find while building a patio in the garden of the family home