DETECTIVES have confirmed the skull found near a former hotel near Bolton was human.
Urban explorers Felicity and Daniel Duffy made the gruesome discovery in woodland near the old Egerton House Hotel in the early hours of Monday.
Police were soon alerted and the hotel grounds, deserted since the venue closed in 2014, have been sealed off since.
Senior officers now say the skull which the Duffys, who host their own paranormal online channel, was human.
But further tests will be required before they are able to say anything more about the remains.
Det Insp Debbie Hurst, of GMP's Bolton CID, said: "This was a very surprising discovery made in the early hours of Monday morning and we have been working ever since to establish the circumstances here.