Human bone discovered in pair of Primark socks in Essex store

Grim find sparks police probe while retailer investigates factory where socks were made

The retailer suggested the incident could be a hoax (PA)

Police are investigating after a human bone was found inside a pair of socks bought from a Primark store in Essex.

The socks were bought from the Colchester branch on 10 December, but the gruesome discovery was only made after Christmas, on 2 January, when a shocked customer reported it to Essex Police.

Officers are still probing who the bone might belong to, but said the fragment did not appear to have ended up inside the clothing as a result of any violence.

“Detectives are continuing to investigate following the discovery of what is believed to be part of a human bone in a pair of Primark socks,” said a police spokesman said.

“The bone does not appear to be a result of recent trauma and had no skin or other particles surrounding it.

“We are liaising with the store who, in turn, are speaking to their suppliers for more information on this incident.”

Police said that without further testing, officers cannot be certain of the origin or age of the bone.

Primark apologised to the unnamed customer who found the bone fragment, and suggested the incident could have been placed inside the socks as a hoax.

A company spokesman said: “Primark clearly takes this matter very seriously and has already carried out an investigation at our supplier’s factory where the socks were made.

“No evidence of any kind exists to suggest that any incident has occurred in the factory, so it is highly probable that this object was placed in the socks by an individual for unknown reasons.

“Primark has been the subject of isolated incidents in the past which have subsequently been found to have been hoaxes.

“The factory has been used by other retailers and subject of many audits over many years. Primark sincerely apologises to the customer who found the item for any distress caused.”

Additional reporting by Press Association