A police investigation has been launched after a jar containing preserved human remains was found by builders working at a house in Liverpool.

       Officers were called to the property in Wordsworth Street, Toxteth, after workers made the macabre discovery.

       The origin, age and exact nature of the remains has not yet been made clear, while the property itself is currently reported to be unoccupied.

       But, on Tuesday afternoon, specialist officers were seen wading through a skip outside the house - now nicknamed the house of horrors by neighbours.

       An English springer spaniel sniffer dog has also been deployed at the property, which has been cordoned off.

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       A spokeswoman for Merseyside Police said: “At around 12.10pm yesterday [Monday] we received a report of suspicious circumstances at an unoccupied address on Wordsworth Street, Toxteth.

       “Officers attended and located a jar containing preserved human remains at the property.

       “Police remain on Wordsworth Street today [Tuesday] while extensive enquiries are carried out to establish the provenance and age of the remains.”