Ancient Pottery Unearthed During Preparations For New Exceat Bridge

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Archaeologists have uncovered fragments of ancient pottery as preparations get under way for the construction of a new bridge at Exceat in East Sussex.

The discoveries were made during excavation work linked to the £19.8 million project to replace and widen Exceat Bridge on the A259 near Seaford.

According to East Sussex County Council, the pottery fragments are believed to date from the Bronze Age, Iron Age and Roman periods.

The finds were uncovered in trenches at the contractor's base site, with experts suggesting they could provide evidence of an Iron Age field system or settlement in the area.

Before construction of the new two-lane bridge begins, archaeologists are carrying out investigations to record and preserve any historically significant remains.

Further excavation work is planned both at the contractor's site and around the location of the new bridge.

The council says it is continuing to work closely with contractors to ensure building work can begin as soon as the site is ready.

Councillor Peter Griffiths, East Sussex County Council's lead member for transport and environment, said:

"We're keen to see construction work on the new bridge begin as soon as possible but the archaeological work is extremely important, and we need to ensure every effort is made to record and preserve the history of this site."

He added that the new crossing over the River Cuckmere would remove a longstanding bottleneck on a key route between Eastbourne and Brighton.

The existing bridge will remain open to traffic while construction of the new structure takes place.

The project is being funded by the UK Government alongside investment from East Sussex County Council's capital budget.