Colchester: 'We've had to wait a long time for our city status'

Colchester has been waiting since Roman times to be "restored" as a city, according to its museum.

It received its letters patent on Wednesday to confirm it as one of the UK's newest cities.

"People sort of forgot about it in the Middles Ages and we were regarded as being a town," said Philip Wise, heritage manager at Colchester and Ipswich Museums.

"So we've had to wait a very long time to have our city status restored to us."

Colchester officially became a city with the presentation of the letters patent from the monarch at the Town Hall.