Peterborough dig uncovers about 70 human skeletons

Dozens of human skeletons have been revealed so far

About 70 human skeletons have been uncovered by archaeologists during a dig at a former factory in Peterborough.

The finds were made by a team from Durham University, which is surveying the site on Midland Road before it is redeveloped for houses.

The remains are believed to date to the medieval period, but could be Roman.

Developers Westleigh plan to build 70 homes on Midland Road once the archaeologists complete their dig.

Pottery dating from the Middle Ages has been found in some of the graves and it is believed the site was once a cemetery

Dr Rebecca Casa-Hatton, lead archaeologist at Peterborough City Council, said: "At the moment we presume they may be medieval but we can't discount they may be late-Roman.

"It's very, very crowded so the cemetery would have been extensive."

She added archaeologists were expecting to find human remains in this area because of similar late Roman or medieval burials uncovered during the building of the railway line during the 19th Century.

"Hopefully, this excavation will shed light on the period of these burials and the burials found in the general area," she said.

Gary Turner, head of investment and partnership at Westleigh, said: "The discovery was made about six weeks ago and since then we have obtained a licence from the Ministry of Justice to exhume the remains.

"Once removed, the remains will be analysed to unlock further details on their history."

The dig is expected to continue for another three to four weeks, but builders have been able to start construction work on other areas of the site