Tests continue on human bones find near Shropshire border

Dyfed-Powys Police said the remains found at Llanymynech Caves could be of archaeological interest as the site was once a Roman copper mine.

Tests are being carried out to try to date the remains, which could take several weeks.

Forensic experts will carry out tests on the remains, which were found by metal detecting enthusiasts on August 1.

Shropshire councillor for Llanymynech, Arthur Walpole, said at the time: "It will be interesting to see what this can perhaps tells us about the site and what it can add to what we know already about the area.

"We know there was a large Roman camp in the area and hopefully this could add to our understanding.

"I think this could be interesting and significant not just locally but for the wider area and could create further interest in the site."

A number of Roman artefacts have been found in the mine previously, including a number of bones and burials.

A hoard of 30 first and second century silver coins of Roman currency was found in 1965 by some schoolboys, and they are now in the National Museum of Wales.

The find in Llanymynech Caves was the second mystery find of human remains in the Oswestry area in recent months.

A human skull was found on Sweeney Mountain in Oswestry in November. An inquest earlier this month said the identity of the remains remained a mystery.

But experts believe the bones belonged to a man of Afro-Caribbean origin, aged 25 to 45, who died after 1963.

What killed him is not known but a pathologist found holes that could have been made with tools before or after death.

It is believed that the bones could be a trophy brought back from Africa or the Caribbean.