Roman pottery found in Weobley community archaeology dig

Tim Hoverd (right) with Neil Proctor and Amilia Burrage at the scene of a surprising find

More than 100 volunteers have been excavating in back gardens in what is thought to be the biggest community archaeology project ever carried out in Herefordshire.

Residents of Weobley have dug 26 pits over nine days and are cataloguing what is found.

The event was organised to mark the 50th anniversary of the Weobley and District Local History Society.

"Unexpected" Roman pottery had been found in one dig, said organisers.

The majority of materials uncovered were "relatively modern" but "in among it there are little gems", said Peter Reavill, historic environment records officer for Herefordshire Council.

"One of the very smallest finds out of all of the test beds is no bigger than my thumbnail, but it is a bit of Roman pottery, which is completely unexpected," he explained.

"There isn't a major Roman site near Weobley and this piece of pottery indicates at least the Romans were here."

More than 20 pits were dug as part of the project

The piece, thought to have come from a 2,000-year-old tankard, was discovered in the garden of Kate and Bob Best.

"It looked exactly like modern-day flowerpot," said Mr Best.

"Apparently you can tell it's Roman because it's like chalk, if you rub it across a hard surface, it leaves a sort of a chalk line."

The scheme had been "great fun", added Mrs Best.

"We've all been a little bit competitive, we're all looking to see if we can find the earliest piece or the most interesting piece."