Human bones dating back to the 13th century are to be given a “much happier ending” after being unearthed on a building site.

They were found on land near St Peter’s Church, Maidstone, by archaeologists carrying out a survey prior to the building of a new five-storey Travelodge.

The dig’s leader Nikki Rahmatova, from the Museum of London Archaeology Service, said: “The remains were probably disturbed in the Victorian times when the gas works were installed.

"We were quite horrified at how the Victorians ploughed through everything including burial grounds. We don’t have any whole skeletons, the bones were scattered over quite a large area and it is impossible to tell what sex they are."

The bones are to be taken away and buried in consecrated ground.