common in the Slavic lands during the decades following the adoption of Christianity by pagan tribes.

The remains were found on the construction site of a ring road near the town of Gliwice, and came as a surprise to archaeologists more accustomed to finding the human detritus of the bloody fighting of the Second World War.

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Jacek Pierzak, one of the archaeologists on the site, said the skeletons were found with no jewellery, belt buckles, buttons or anything that could aid the task of determining their age.

Unlike the classic Bram Stoker image of a caped, bloodsucking aristocrat, the definition of a vampire in the Middle Ages was far broader. Even people who abided by old pagan customs and left food on the graves of dead relations could fall foul ofImage caption Raymond Gilmour was a member of both the INLA and IRA during the Troubles

A secret agent who infiltrated the IRA for the British security services has said he has been abandoned by MI5 and left with mental health problems.

Raymond Gilmour, who now lives in south-east England, was the only witness in a trial of 35 IRA suspects which collapsed in 1984.

The "supergrass" claims responsibility for saving many lives, but said he lives in constant fear of being killed.

The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) said it could not comment on any individual.

Mr Gilmour, who is from Londonderry and has lived under a false identity for 30 years, claims his MI5 handlers promised him £500,000, a new home, psychiatric support and a pension.

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