Detectives have recovered an almost complete human skeleton that was found near a junction of the M1 motorway in West Yorkshire.

The grim discovery was made after a member of the public rang police to say a bone, thought to be human, was found in a wooded area near to junction 45 near Temple Newsam in Leeds last month.

Police forensic experts have now managed to determine that the skeleton is human and thought to belong to an adult male.

An investigation is now underway to probe the man’s identity and the circumstances of his death.

A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said: “On Monday, March 27, a human bone was found in a wooded area near to junction 45 of the M1.

“Further work at the scene led to the recovery of an almost complete skeleton of a man. Work is ongoing to identify him and to establish the circumstances surrounding his death.”