Historic finds halt £2.4m road

Sister Bonaventure, a Brecon town councillor, surveys the site

A 17th Century coin and the remains of an ancient cobbled street and tower have been found during a road building worked in the mid Wales town of Brecon.

Work near Market Street and Watergate Street has been temporarily suspended by Powys County Council while investigations are carried out.

The Queen Anne coin was found as work was carried out on the third phase of the town's £2.4m inner relief road.

The tower is believed to date from the 14th or 15th Century.

I am excited and saddened by the finds Ian Milton

Ian Milton, who lives nearby, wants to see the area restored and landscaped with interpretation boards erected for tourists.

"I am excited and saddened by the finds - the danger being it could be covered up for ever," he said.

Mr Milton, a retired actor, wants to organise a meeting to find a way forward.

Eight years ago, he started the Save Brecon campaign to try to prevent the road being built.

Tourist attractions

But the third phase of the project started last October and will finish in about 18 months.

Mr Milton would like to see other parts of the town's heritage made into tourist attractions. He wants any other remains at the site, possibly Roman or Celtic, to be unearthed.

Members of both Powys and Brecon councils have inspected the excavations. County council consultant Border Archaeology said the discoveries were "very exciting", pre-dating historic records.

A Powys council spokesman said: "Due to the significance of the finds, construction of the immediate vicinity will be temporarily suspended in order to undertake further investigations and to secure and record additional finds.

"However, it is unlikely the work will delay the overall progress of the scheme.

"We will be consulting with Brecon Beacons National Park, (Welsh historical monuments body)Cadw, Brecon Museum and Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust on the significance of the discoveries and how best to record the local heritage for future generations."

Responding specifically to Mr Milton's call, a spokesman for Powys council emphasised it was working closely with agencies to ensure the heritage of the area was best protected.