Excavation of prehistoric tomb expected to start

An archaeological excavation of a prehistoric tomb in Alderney is due to begin later, Guernsey Ports says.

The site, known as Houguette de la Taille, is located outside the current perimeter of Alderney Airport.

It is one of three historic sites identified by planners as part a wider refurbishment of the airport, which was granted in May.

One of the conditions of that planning approval was written documentation of an investigation into any archaeological remains, before any construction work started.

Weather delays possible

The tomb is believed to be a prehistoric barrow dating back to about 2,000 BC, according to Dr Philip de Jersey, a States archaeologist.

He said: "If the airport runway extension goes ahead then this site will be destroyed, so one of the conditions on the planning approval was that we excavate it first.

"We are planning to be there for about 10 or 11 days to do this, with a small team from Guernsey and Alderney."

Dr de Jersey admitted weather conditions could delay his team from starting on Monday.

Guernsey Ports has confirmed the other two sites are the Lager Sylt, which was a concentration camp, and the Windmuhlenberg strongpoint.

A spokesperson said the remains of the Lager Sylt camp were largely outside the airport perimeter.

They said it was believed a small part of the compound was within the current airfield.

For the Windmuhlenberg strongpoint, no further surveys have been proposed ahead of construction, but a watching brief would be maintained throughout and a record made of any findings as the project progressed, they added.