[en] Spectral hole-burning in an erbium-doped silica fibre at room temperature has been experimentally demonstrated. This demonstration can be considered as a clear experimental evidence of the relationship between slow light and coherent population oscillations in erbium-doped fibres. In a 3.5 m erbium-doped silica fibre, spectral holes with a depth up to $1.5{\text{m}}^{-<!--\; ???\; -->1}$ were obtained by coupling a strong and narrow saturating power and measuring changes in the spectral absorption coefficient for a weak and wide probe power. A tuneable ring-cavity erbium-doped fibre laser was employed as saturating source. To obtain a higher saturating power, laser emission was amplified by means of a second fibre amplifier. (letter)