Construction workers have discovered the bodies of 29 unborn babies while digging at a family home in Lutory, near Krakow, in Poland - with officers arresting a 52-year-old woman

The bodies of 29 unborn babies were unearthed in a horrifying discovery by construction workers at a family home in Poland.

The workers were digging through a driveway on private land when they discovered the bodies, which led to the arrest of a 52-year-old woman, a pathologist referred to only as Magdalena H.

The suspect is now being investigated for desecration of a corpse and illegal disposal of hazardous waste, according to Polish news agency PAP. The offence could result in a jail sentence of between two and 12 years.

According to the prosecutor's office, "a significant amount of medical waste, mainly paraffin blocks and microscope slides," were also found on the property, local media reported.

The current owners of the five acre plot, who were in the middle of renovations, alerted police to the discovery, local reports said.

It sparked a large emergency response, with police still digging the area and searches expected to last until next week.

Polish media outlet Interia Wydarzenia said "according to a statement from the District Prosecutor's Office in Rzeszów, the first information about 'the discovery of significant amounts of medical waste on the premises of one of the properties in Lutory' was received by investigators on June 10."

It added: "The discovered waste also included a human fetus and other remains that could have been human fetuses in the early stages of development or their fragments."

Medical experts were sent to the scene and "confirmed that the secured remains were those of human fetuses," the report said.

The excavator used to dig up the remains is now being tested for DNA samples, while a specialist waterworks truck was also deployed, sparking fears that nearby drains and sewer systems could hold further evidence.

Local residents described the former owner of the property as unsettling and reclusive. She is believed to have bought the house two years ago before selling it to a young couple, who currently reside there, six months ago.

“I don’t even know what this woman does. I knew her by sight,” one villager said.

Another said the woman, who had red hair, was "a bit strange."

However, one man told local media a different story. “I remember that woman, but she hasn’t been here for about five years," he said.. She supposedly performed some autopsy here, but I don’t know for sure.”