Police have provided an update about bones that were found by a shocked member of the public on a Teesside beach last week.
Cleveland Police were called to Marske beach after a member of the public found the remains while walking along the coast at about 6.40pm on Thursday (October 15).
Police removed the remains and sent them for forensic tests to establish whether they were human or animal.
Officers have since confirmed that tests have established the remains were not human.
A Cleveland Police spokesperson said: "The bones were tested and were confirmed to be non-human."
By Friday (October 16), police and other emergency services had left the beach.
Marske Beach (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)
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Since the discovery, there has been speculation on social media about where the bones may have come from, with several people saying they had recently seen what appeared to be seal remains in the area.
One commented: "Possibly the bones of a dead seal, as there was one washed up at the high tide mark by the boats at Marske the other day."
Another said: "Saw them last week, looked like the remains of a seal flipper."
A third added: "There were quite a few bones sticking out of a seal carcass. The body and fin were still visible."
However, while police have confirmed the bones were not human, they have not said what animal they belonged to.