The Catholic Church in the North has apologised for selling land to a wildlife trust where hundreds of dead babies were buried.

A dig by police in a wildlife sanctuary close to a west Belfast cemetery, launched amid concerns that human remains were buried there, was called off today.

Police in Belfast have begun digging at a patch of land near a cemetery and nature reserve which may contain hidden graves.

The North is edging closer to having its own environmental protection agency, it was claimed today.