FORENSIC teams have spent the weekend continuing to search part of a Southampton park for human remains which may be buried there.

Scenes of crime officers were due to resume their search of a section of Riverside Park in Bitterne this morning.

Officers were focusing their investigation on an area close to the riverbank as they try to find evidence of human remains. Over the weekend officers expanded the one acre search area.

The city council was called in to help with the removal of logs from the site within the sealed off area.

Apart from a specially trained search dog, most of the work was being done manually but a heavy digging machine was being used.

As reported in the Daily Echo, detectives moved on to the park on Thursday morning following a tip off that human remains had been buried there.

Corrugated metal screens had been erected around one part of the sealed off area, which is close to the River Itchen and is thought to be about an acre in size. The inquiry is being led by the major crime team based at Hulse Road in the city. Detectives are refusing to confirm what sort of remains they believe have been discarded there but they have ruled out any link to ongoing murder or missing person inquiries.

They have also ruled out any connection with a vicious robbery of a pensioner that coincidentally happened at the same spot a week last Wednesday.

Detectives would not confirm whether the search had so far proved fruitful but it is not thought anything has yet been uncovered.

A spokesman for Hampshire police said: "We are unable to confirm whether the search has so far yielded anything. However, officers will be back today to continue with the investigation.