A man walked into a police station carrying a piece of human jawbone in a bag, a coroner has been told.

He had made the discovery while walking on a Kent beach, sparking an investigation.

It was among several bones he found scattered 60 metres apart on Tankerton foreshore near Whitstable.

The man took them to Canterbury police station and officers were sent to the scene on the beach but found nothing else suspicious.

Testing later revealed only the jawbone was human and radiocarbon dated by experts to between 17 and 240 AD.

An inquest into the discovery in July was opened at Oakwood House in Maidstone last week.

Coroner Sarah Clarke said the cause of death of the person was “unascertainable” and adjourned the hearing until March 4.

A Kent Police spokesman said: “On July 2, a member of the public attended Canterbury police station with a number of items he had found on the beach in Tankerton.

“Some of the items were believed to be fragments of animal bones, but one thought to be part of a human jaw bone was sent for testing.

“Officers attended the area of beach where the fragments had been found and nothing suspicious was located.

“Radiocarbon testing has since suggested the bone fragment dates to between 17 and 240 AD. The coroner has been informed.”