POLICE have launched an investigation after a piece of human jaw bone was discovered near a river.

The grim discovery was made on Saturday afternoon in Rowhedge by dog walkers and a bird watcher.

Officers are now investigating and have been in the village since Wednesday afternoon.

The inquiry is centring on a popular dog walking route near Thanet Walk, close to the intersection of Marsh Crescent which is just yards away from the River Colne.

Police remained on the scene yesterday with teams working through the night on the investigation.

Neighbours said they had been a sniffer dog searching the area where the bone was found.

A large generator had also been set up to provide power to lights which police had been using as the investigation continued overnight.

Equipment had been set up on a stretch of the walkway which heads out towards the river.

The immediate area was cordoned off with officers left to guard the scene.

Baffled residents living nearby said they had no idea how the bone would have got there but suggested it may have been dredged up from the riverbed by an inquisitive dog or washed up naturally.

They said it was rare to see police in the area but it was a popular spot for walkers.

A spokesman for Essex Police said: “We were called at 2.35pm on Saturday March 16 with reports a jawbone believed to be human had been found along a river walk in Rowhedge.

“Inquiries are ongoing.”

Earlier this year, the Gazette reported police had launched an investigation after an unsuspecting shopper found a human bone in a pair of socks which had been purchased from Primark in Culver Street East, Colchester.

There was no skin attached and police liaised with shop bosses in a bid to find out how it had come to end up inside the socks.

Primark said they were taking the matter seriously but said checks had revealed they did not think the bone had entered the sock at the factory stage and believed they were the victim of a targeted hoax.

Anyone with information about the discovery in Rowhedge is asked to call 101 if they have not already spoken to police in connection with the jawbone.

Details can also be given to Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555111.

The charity also has a website at crimestoppers-uk.org. where details can be uploaded.