SEARCH dogs have been brought in to support an ongoing investigation launched after a skull was found near a layby.

Police dog units were seen today on the B2141 at Chilgrove, near Chichester, as officers continued to scour the area.

A bone, believed to be a human skull, was found by workmen at 12.35pm last Thursday.

Police quickly moved in and cordoned off the area, setting up several tents as an investigation was launched into the shocking discovery.

Dogs have been brought in as a police search continues after a skull was found near a layby in Chilgrove, near Chichester

Dogs have been brought in as a police search continues after a skull was found near a layby in Chilgrove, near Chichester

Now, almost a week on, a search of the area is ongoing. The tents remain in place and several police vehicles were photographed at the scene today.

Mystery continues to surround the suspected skull, with officers currently treating the find as "unexplained".

Sussex Police say "any remains recovered will be subject to specialist examinations and testing".

Chief Inspector Jon Carter, District Commander for Arun and Chichester, said: “Our enquiries are ongoing as we seek to establish how long these suspected human remains have been at this location, and how they came to be here. This is a complex process which is likely to take several weeks at least before we will know the age of the remains with any certainty.

“In order to allow the continued searches to be carried out safely, the road has been reduced to a single carriageway and there are temporary traffic signals in place. We are grateful for road users’ care and patience if they are travelling past this location.

“This discovery is currently being treated as unexplained, and I would urge anyone with any information which could assist in our investigation – no matter how insignificant they think it may be – to contact us.”

Dogs have been brought in as a police search continues after a skull was found near a layby in Chilgrove, near Chichester

Dogs have been brought in as a police search continues after a skull was found near a layby in Chilgrove, near Chichester

Anyone with information on the human remains is urged to report this to police online, or call the force on 101 quoting Operation Sunlight.

The suspected human skull was found just days after human remains were spotted on West Wittering beach, about 15 miles away.

Dogs have been brought in as a police search continues after a skull was found near a layby in Chilgrove, near Chichester

Dogs have been brought in as a police search continues after a skull was found near a layby in Chilgrove, near Chichester

Sussex Police recovered the bones from the coast near Chichester on Sunday, January 24, with the force later confirming the bones were human.

An investigation is now under way to identify the skeletal remains.

A Sussex Police spokesman said: “Specialist forensic teams recovered the bones and confirmed the remains are human.

"The discovery is currently being treated as unexplained and enquiries to identify the bones are ongoing.”

Police told The Argus last week that forensics teams were working to establish the age of the bones.

However, despite being found within seven days of one another, police say there is currently no evidence to connect the two discoveries.

A spokesman said: “There is no reason, at this time, to suggest this is linked to the discovery of bones at a beach near West Wittering on Sunday .”