Armed with spades and forks, diggers have been relishing the chance to unearth a piece of history held in the mud of the River Colne.

The water level has been lowered at Middleborough bridge to allow the river's flood defences to be revamped by the Environment Agency.

The fall in water level has left the river water just a few feet in places and the amateur archaeologists have been finding an array of artefacts.

Under the bridge Ian Dines and Yvonne Hume, from Colchester, have found pots, clay pipes and tiny figures.

"Sometimes you find something interesting and sometimes you don't," said Mr Dines. One digger who only wanted to be known as "Norman" said better items were found 15 years ago when dredging work was done and Roman coins were found.

"There has been some modern jewellery found but it's stuff people have thrown in or lost," he added.

He said anything important or ancient is handed over as treasure trove or given to Colchester museum.

The work of the diggers is taken seriously too.

A Roman brooch stone was found during the building of the YMCA Foyer on Magdalen Street and long-time digger James Hamilton-Smith, has been asked to write a book on clay pipes found in East Anglian.

Mr Hamilton-Smith said the appeal of digging was simple enjoyment and letting other people see it.

"We get enjoyment out of it and finding something that comes from our past," he added.

A spokeswoman for the Environment Agency said the diggers were allowed to dig the riverbank which is owned by Colchester council, as a "goodwill gesture" as long as they did not damage the banks or the flood defences.

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