A piece of human bone found in a pair of socks bought from a branch of Primark has not been linked to a crime, police have said.

The socks were bought from the Colchester store on 10 December last year and the matter was reported to police on 2 January. The bone was believed to have come from part of a finger.

Essex police said they had investigated as far as was reasonably and proportionately possible.

“At this time it is not linked to a criminal act,” a police spokeswoman said. “It is a possibility it was placed in the sock in its country of origin, but this cannot be confirmed. It did not appear to be a result of recent trauma and had no skin or other particles surrounding it.”

The force said if any further information came to light, the case would be reviewed.

At the time the bone was found, a Primark spokesman said the company took the matter very seriously. Primark said it now considered the matter closed.

The company said in a statement: “It is highly probable that the 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. Following our own and the police investigation, we consider the matter closed.”