Row over tunnel at Stonehenge

CONSTRUCTION of a road tunnel near Stonehenge could irrevocably damage the only place in Britain that can trace the presence of people back to the last Ice Age, experts have warned.

Archaeologists at Blick Mead, near the stone circle in Wiltshire, recently uncovered hoofprints of extinct wild cattle called aurochs that are believed to have been preserved in a ritualistic manner 6,000 years ago – making them even older than the ancient monument.

But there are fears that rerouting the A303 to ease congestion and improve the World Heritage site’s setting could destroy undiscovered human footprints.

University of Buckingham archaeologist David Jacques said: ‘The place is like a national archive for organic material which are like documents. It would be like destroying a unique library.’

David Bullock, Highways England project manager, said: ‘A consultation on the A303 scheme … will highlight where we still need to make changes.’