SKELETONS from Britain's Dark Ages have been discovered buried at Twyford School near Winchester.

The remains of 12 bodies were found by workmen digging foundations for new classrooms.

Initially it was feared it could have been the result of a mass murder, so police were called and the scene made safe until officers arrived. However,instead of unearthing a modern murder scene, the workmen had actually stumbled on a Saxon burial site.

Archaeologists now believe the remains are some 1,300 years old.

Since their discovery, the bones and the rest of the dig site have been excavated by Wessex Archaeology and have now been cleaned and preserved.

It was the decision of Winchester City Council sites and monuments officer Tracy Matthews that the building work could continue after the discoveries had been carefully moved to their new home at the Winchester Museum.

The dig is expected to take around another week in order to make sure that all the remains in the area are found and can be taken away for research.

Pupils at the school have experienced a history lesson with a difference after the discovery, seeing archaeologists work on a site right under their nose.

History teacher Heather Hayter said: "The school is delighted to be able to facilitate this exciting development which may give archaeologists and historians new insights into life in this area in the first few centuries AD."