Excavations at Weymouth's medieval and Civil War sites

Campaigners wanted excavations to take place before the old council offices were redeveloped

Archaeologists will be digging up part of a seaside town which was the site of a bloody battle during the Civil War.

Trenches will be cut in Weymouth's medieval high street and North Quay - the site of its former council offices.

The area was the site of the Battle of Weymouth in 1645, following a royalist plot to return the ports of Weymouth and Melcombe to King Charles I.

Dorset Council has commissioned specialists Context One to dig four exploratory trenches from next week.

Community group Dig the Street has been campaigning for excavations in the old high street - now known as High West Street - before the former borough council office site is redeveloped.

Dorset Council wants to build 72 new homes in place of the old North Quay block and a planning application is due in the summer.

The council said if significant finds were unearthed, more investigations would be carried out

Mark Vine, of Dig the Street, said the council had confirmed in writing that the dig was taking place, saying if "significant finds are unearthed this will lead to a larger plan to ensure any residual archaeology is properly investigated".

In a Facebook post, he said: "We have hopefully gone some way to ensuring that future generations of Weymouthians will know how their wonderful town began and developed through the ages and that the story of one of England's oldest ports is properly told."

Context One tweeted: "We are very excited to be carrying out a preliminary archaeological investigation at North Quay, Weymouth, next week in the location of the former medieval high street.

"We acknowledge strong public interest and will share our findings as they are encountered as widely as possible."

Dorset Council has been contacted for a comment.