A church warden has spoken of his shock and dismay after a gruesome package was found in the church's graveyard.

Remains were found partially buried in a box at St Andrew's Church in Church Walk, Enfield Town on Monday.

Jeremy Taylor, a church warden of five years, and regular worshipper since 1988, expressed his sadness and shock.

He said: “I received a phone call at about 3.30pm whilst at work and I was very shocked and sad at the thought that this could happen in Enfield.

“In my time at the church I have never seen anything like this and thankfully everything has been cleared away.”

Police cordoned off the church completely during a forensic investigation that continued until 9.30pm.

It is still unclear what has happened but the police are treating the case as a crime scene.

The historic church, parts of which date back more than 800 years, is currently without a vicar and is traditionally closed on a Tuesday.

Mr Taylor also told the Enfield Independent about the plans he had made once hearing what had happened.

He said: “When you are up for election you are always told that one day you could be doing the drains and the next you might be talking to the press. Now I have done both but I was not expecting something like this.

“I was worried about our Sunday service and I had thought about plans in my head but now everything has been removed from the area, we can go ahead with our service.”

The police are yet to confirm the results of their pathology test.