A WALKER has told how she found the remains of a child who died 4,000 years ago on an Orkney beach.

The youngster, who would have been around 10 to 12 when he or she died, was discovered buried on an Orkney beach by tour guide Carrie Brown and her partner.

A near-complete skeleton was carefully removed from the site on after being carefully excavated by experts this week.

The remains date back to early neolithic period. Ms Brown made the find under burial stone with her partner.

She said: "Three or four ribs were exposed.

"I thought it was human, or a very much hoped it was."

An archeologist was brought in who confirmed its age.

She continued: "Orkney is a great place for archaeology - I've always been interested in it.

"I knew it wasn't the correct thing to do to dig further. I would have been slightly nervous.

"I certainly wasn't expecting to find human remains."

Ms Brown made the discovery last Tuesday and after the skull was exposed by the local archeologist Historic Scotland were called to the scene.

Expert archaeologists worked on the site for several days and on Monday the remains were fully removed for carbon dating.

Before doing so, they gave Ms Brown a date of between 3,000 to 4,000 years old on a child aged between 10 and 12 at the time he or she died.

She added: "There have been heavy storms here over the last few month," she said. "Things get covered up then uncovered.

"There is a fair chance there is more."