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| Stonehenge site 'damaged' by engineers working on tunnel | Stonehenge site 'damaged' by engineers working on tunnel |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Road workers have been accused of damaging a 6,000-year-old site near Stonehenge as part of preparations for a controversial tunnel. | Road workers have been accused of damaging a 6,000-year-old site near Stonehenge as part of preparations for a controversial tunnel. |
| Highways England engineers monitoring water levels dug the 3.5 metre deep bore hole through the prehistoric platform. | Highways England engineers monitoring water levels dug the 3.5 metre deep bore hole through the prehistoric platform. |
| The Blick Mead site is about 1.5 miles (2.4km) from Stonehenge and believed to date from around 4,000 BC. | The Blick Mead site is about 1.5 miles (2.4km) from Stonehenge and believed to date from around 4,000 BC. |
| Lead archaeologist at the site David Jacques described it as "a travesty". | Lead archaeologist at the site David Jacques described it as "a travesty". |
| He said engineers did not consult him before carrying out the work. | He said engineers did not consult him before carrying out the work. |
| But Highways England said no archaeological damage had been caused and its engineers "adhered to guidelines". | But Highways England said no archaeological damage had been caused and its engineers "adhered to guidelines". |
| The proposed tunnel is part of a £1.6bn programme to upgrade the A303, which links the M3 from London to the M5 in the south west. | The proposed tunnel is part of a £1.6bn programme to upgrade the A303, which links the M3 from London to the M5 in the south west. |
| The government wants to build the 1.9-mile (3km) tunnel past Stonehenge to hide the busy A303, but campaigners claim it could destroy archaeological treasures. | The government wants to build the 1.9-mile (3km) tunnel past Stonehenge to hide the busy A303, but campaigners claim it could destroy archaeological treasures. |
| Perfectly preserved hoof prints of wild cattle known as aurochs have recently been found at the Blick Mead encampment in Wiltshire. | |
| The prints found under the platform were preserved in what appears to be a ritualistic manner, Prof Jacques said. | The prints found under the platform were preserved in what appears to be a ritualistic manner, Prof Jacques said. |
| Construction on the tunnel and linking flyover would lower the water table, drying out the peat and silt conditions which preserve archaeological remains, he added. | Construction on the tunnel and linking flyover would lower the water table, drying out the peat and silt conditions which preserve archaeological remains, he added. |
| Prof Jacques, from the University of Buckingham, said: "This is a travesty. We took great care to excavate this platform and the auroch's hoofprints | Prof Jacques, from the University of Buckingham, said: "This is a travesty. We took great care to excavate this platform and the auroch's hoofprints |
| "It the tunnel goes ahead the water table will drop and all the organic remains will be destroyed. If the remains aren't preserved we may never be able to understand why Stonehenge was built." | "It the tunnel goes ahead the water table will drop and all the organic remains will be destroyed. If the remains aren't preserved we may never be able to understand why Stonehenge was built." |
| A Highways England spokesman said its water table monitoring scheme "will have no significant effects on the Blick Mead area". | A Highways England spokesman said its water table monitoring scheme "will have no significant effects on the Blick Mead area". |
| Inspectors are to meet Prof Jacques later to assess the work. | Inspectors are to meet Prof Jacques later to assess the work. |