A Nazi wartime bunker where children claim they suffered sadistic sexual abuse while in care on the island of Jersey is being searched by police today.

Six witnesses have said they were taken to the underground bunker by staff from the nearby Haut de la Garenne children’s home, which is at the centre of a massive abuse inquiry.

A sniffer dog trained to detect blood and human material is being sent down into the Second World War bunker. A forensic team will carry out a fingertip search of the concrete bunker later this week.

The bunker lies about 500 yards from the boundary of Haut de la Garenne on the east of the island. The only visible sign of the complex is a squat brick tower on a cliff-edge.

There are several underground rooms which were used during the Second World War by the occupying German force as a look-out.

Almost 100 people have made allegations of abuse by about 100 people with 18 main suspects. The bulk of the allegations focus on the 1970s and 1980s.

Deputy Chief Officer Lenny Harper, who is heading the investigation, said: “The allegation is that residents from Haut de la Garenne were taken to the bunker by members of staff and abused there.

“We are talking about six witness statements to us concerning the bunker. Six different witnesses and different incidents.

“There are a number of different entrances to the bunker and we will work through them methodically. It was fairly easy for people to get in there at one stage.”

Mr Harper said he did not anticipate an archaeological search would take place, like the one carried out at Haut de la Garenne.

“We can expect to find evidence to corroborate the witness accounts,” he said. “We found evidence at Haut de la Garenne that corroborated the witness evidence.”

Haut de la Garenne, which closed as a children’s home in the 1980s and is now a youth hostel, remains a “potential homicide scene”.

Four secret underground chambers, referred to as punishment rooms by some victims, have been uncovered and police recovered 65 milk teeth from the cellars and found shackles and a large bloodstained concrete bath.

Officers have also recovered at least 30 charred human bone fragments and in one cellar found the disturbing message “I’ve been bad for years and years” scrawled on a wooden post.

Tests on bone fragments discovered at the home have found that some were cut while others were burnt, suggesting that murders had taken place and the victims’ bodies had possibly been cremated in a fireplace.

Six people have been arrested so far. Three have been charged with offences relating to the abuse of children. Three others, including a former police officer, have been released on bail.

The investigation of child abuse on Jersey will be taken over by a new officer within weeks following the retirement of Deputy Chief Officer Lenny Harper.

David Warcup, currently Deputy Chief Constable of Northumbria, will be responsible for the strategy, policy and standards of the investigation.

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