Bronze Age trackway unearthed in Northern England

2/2. Waves have eroded the ancient wood

A prehistoric trackway that could be more than 4,000 years old has been discovered on a beach in Cleethorpes.

The wooden track would have been used to cross a boggy landscape and is believed to be from the early Bronze Age, said archaeologists.

It was found during a coastal survey for a project into threatened archaeological sites.

Andy Sherman, from the survey, said: "It's fascinating to think people in the past were walking along the wood."

About 5m of wood have been exposed by the tide.

Mr Sherman said: "It is really difficult to say just how much more is preserved, it's all down to the survival quality of the wood within a peat layer."

It was hoped a wood sample could be taken to date the trackway more precisely, he added.

The peat's low oxygen level has protected the ancient wood from completely rotting away.

The Coastal and Intertidal Zone Archaeological Network (CITiZAN) survey is to record coastal and tidal sites threatened by erosion by wind and waves.

Volunteers are to be trained to record and monitor such sites. bbc.com/