‘Nighthawks’ digging illegally in hunt for Hadrian’s Wall treasure

ARCHAEOLOGISTS HAVE raised the alarm over loss and damage caused by “nighthawks” in the illegal search for treasure along Hadrian’s Wall.

More than 50 holes dug by people undertaking illegal metal-detecting have been found at the Brunton Turret section of the 1,900-year-old World Heritage Site, government heritage agency Historic England said.

Nighthawks, the term for illegal metal detectorists, have targeted the turret and well-preserved section of wall, which was built by the men of the Twentieth Legion of the Roman Army, in their search for ancient artefacts.

All the sites are protected as scheduled monuments where using a metal detector without proper authorisation is a criminal offence.

Historic England is calling on visitors to Hadrian’s Wall and Tyne Valley residents to report illegal metal-detecting which is “causing loss and damage to our shared cultural heritage”.

Mike Collins, Historic England’s inspector of ancient monuments at Hadrian’s Wall, said: “We know that the majority of the metal-detecting community complies with the laws and regulations regarding discovery and recovery of objects from the land.

“But the small number of people who steal artefacts and damage ancient sites are breaking the law and robbing us all of the knowledge and understanding that objects from the past can give us.” The news comes after The

Yorkshire Post revealed treasured assets across the county are at risk from criminals targeting the historic sites on which they stand.