THE remains of six people have been discovered on the wreck of the trawler Gaul, nearly three decades after the vessel sank mysteriously off the coast of Norway.

The discovery was welcomed by grieving relatives, who may now finally be able to find out the truth about what happened to the vessel and its crew of 36, including six North-East men.

The Hull-registered Gaul went down about 70 miles off Norway in February 1974, in unexplained circumstances.

Claims have persisted that the Gaul was involved in espionage and that the then Soviet Union might have been responsible for it sinking.

Aubrey Bowles, whose brother Ronald, from Wallsend, Tyneside, was a member of the crew, said last night: "I have never subscribed to the rumour that the Gaul was a spy ship. But it has been festering in a lot of people's minds.

"Once the formal inquiry is reopened and comes up with a final answer, any doubts can be put to rest so we can all move on."

Hull lawyer Max Gold, who is acting for the families of crew members, said: "Towards the end of work on the Gaul, human and forensic remains were found.

"All indications give us confidence that we have recovered samples from the remains of six individuals. It is too early to say who they might be and, indeed, we won't get final answers to the question until DNA examination is carried out, and that may take two or three months.

"But if, as we expect, they are the men from the Gaul, then at long last the relatives will know for certain the fate of the men, and that is something they have waited for for nearly 30 years."

Mr Gold said: "We have yet to begin to evaluate the technological and scientific evidence that has been gathered on this trip, which we hope will throw light on why she sank, why there were no distress calls and a number of other relevant issues."

He said the public inquiry into the Gaul would be resumed next year, when "these matters will be finally decided upon".

A formal investigation held in 1974 concluded the vessel capsized in heavy seas, but the investigation found no direct evidence of how the tragedy occurred.

In August 1997, an expedition discovered the wreck and a documentary film shown on Channel 4 prompted Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott to instigate a new survey.

Shipping Minister David Jamieson said: "We are very pleased that all the objectives of the survey of the Gaul have been met."