Hopes cash could save at-risk Bronze Age site

An excavation project at a Bronze Age site could see the area removed from a register of at-risk historical locations, the government has said.

Ancient remains at Flag Fen archaeological park near Peterborough are deteriorating because of degrading groundwater levels, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Defra is providing almost £700,000 to fund a dig to uncover the history beneath a 3,500-year-old causeway.

It said it was part of a longer-term project to revitalise the site, with the aim of removing it from Historic England's heritage at risk register.

The excavation project will offer volunteering opportunities for local people.

Jacqueline Mooney, its general manager, said: "The really exciting thing is this is just the start of a huge project where we get to save Flag Fen.

"The evidence that we have found here comes as far away as Iran, as Scandinavia, as Switzerland and in a place like Peterborough, where we have such a multicultural population, this is everybody's heritage.

"This funding will make it possible for us to excavate and collect evidence that is missing from our understanding of why Peterborough's Bronze Age settlers built the monumental wooden causeway at Flag Fen.

"We are incredibly thankful that this funding has been granted just in time, as around 40% of Flag Fen's precious buried archaeology is at serious risk of being lost forever in just a few short months."

Will Fletcher from Historic England said it was "one of our premier Bronze Age archaeological sites".

"It's famous around the world in terms of archaeology.

It's one of the few places in the country where you can come and see archaeology live, effectively, in real terms."

Peterborough's Labour MP Andrew Pakes said the project was "brilliant news" for the city.

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