A major archaeological find has been unearthed during fieldwork at Ronaldsway.

The foundations of an 8,000 year old prehistoric house have been discovered.

Jason Roberts reports (text below, from attached audio file):

The major discovery is the foundations of a strongly built shelter, filled and surrounded by thousands of pieces of worked flint, charred remains of wood and hundreds of hazelnut shells.

Those are understood to be characteristic of the first human settlers returning to the Island after the end of the Ice Age.

The site has already attracted interest from a BBC team filming the next series of 'Coast' and has recently been visited by Professor of Archaeology Peter Woodman.

The overall excavation was triggered by planning conditions attached to the airport's runway project and the area is known to contain an unusually rich prehistoric and historic landscape.