BODY parts were dug from the bed of the River Lune after a skull was discovered by a local fisherman.

More than 30 emergency service workers descended on Aldcliffe Marsh, Lancaster, yesterday (Wednesday) to retrieve the remains from a sandy grave.

Police investigating the deaths of the Chinese cockle-pickers are now looking into whether the body is one of the two missing cocklers.

Fire crews from Lancaster and Morecambe, the RNLI, coastguard and police were called after the skull was found in the mud at 9am..

A police spokesman told the Citizen: "Det Sup't Mick Gradwell, who is in charge of the inquiry into the deaths of the cocklers in Morecambe Bay, has been made aware of the find. His team will be investigating."

A police helicopter circling overhead drew attention to the scene.

An eyewitness said members of the rescue services gathered on the sands about 30 yards from the Lancaster shore of the Lune.

He said they set to work digging several feet down in search of the remains.

The team recovered some body parts at about 1.30pm and placed them in a black bag, he added.

Onlookers were asked to keep their distance from the scene, half-a-mile from the road on Railway Crossing Lane.

Kevin Hugginson, station officer at Lancaster fire station, told the Citizen his crew had to use specialist sand rescue equipment to dig out the body.

"We also had to co-operate with the hovercraft to ferry rescue equipment because the operation was taking place in marsh area.

"It took us three hours to release the body from the mud and as the tide came in we suspended the operation," he said.

There were no plans for the fire brigade to attend the scene again when the tide went out.

The RNLI received a call from police at noon and launched the hovercraft and lifeboat from the Golden Ball pub.