Cellar Searched At Jersey Care Home

A forensic search for human remains has been continuing at a former care home in Jersey as police focus their investigations on a bricked up cellar.

Police now believe the search could last for weeks after sniffer dogs indicated another six 'hotspots' at Haut de la Garenne.

Detectives have not ruled out finding more bodies at the former care home, now a youth hostel, following the discovery of a child's skull at the weekend.

Jersey's deputy chief police officer, Lenny Harper, said they planned to continue the search for two weeks.

Authorities were alerted to the site following a child abuse investigation involving allegations mainly from the 1970s and 1980s.

Mr Harper said the investigation started after a number of former members of staff were arrested on suspicion of paedophile crimes.

He confirmed that a number of agencies were being scrutinised for failing to deal with reports of assaults.

A free NSPCC helpline set up has received 63 calls from people claiming they were abused in Jersey care homes.

Police said that records of children at Haut de la Garenne, which closed in 1986, are 'patchy' and it is understood that those who died in care may have been formally reported as runaways.

Officers are unsure whether the remains of the child's skull, which prompted the investigation, will reveal an identity.