THE human remains found at a house in Helmsley was the body of an adult, police have confirmed.

The discovery was made on Tuesday evening at around 6pm following a report by a member of the public.

Three people - a 75-year-old woman, a 46-year-old man and a 51-year-old woman - were arrested in connection with the incident.

Police said on Thursday that all three have since been released on conditional bail.

Neighbours described the heavy police presence at the terraced cottage on Bondgate over Tuesday night and into Wednesday, including the attendance of forensics teams.

The community in Helmsley has been "shocked" by the discovery, a local town councillor said.

Chris Parkin, who runs a business on Bondgate and also sits on Helmsley Town Council, said: "Like most other people I'm bewildered as to what's happened.

"It seems like a tragedy, but I'm sure the police will get to the bottom of it and we'll have to wait until that happens.

"The community is somewhat shocked - to see so many police vehicles in Helmsley is very rare."

Police said on Wednesday that the death is currently being treated as unexplained and that the coroner has been informed.

A spokesperson added: "Enquiries are continuing to determine the circumstances around the incident."