A proposed skip yard near Waddon Ponds (England) could drain the River Wandle and destroy the remains of a Bronze Age settlement, a local historian has warned. Plans to house the storage site on derelict land have outraged local residents and environmentalists.
     Their case was strengthened by local historian Raymond Hague, who said the yard would devastate the local ecology and destroy an area of archaeological value. He also revealed the site was also a former Bronze Age settlement. A nearby resident had dug up a number of flint tools in 1996 and the implements were dated to 1,400 BCE by experts at the Museum of London.
     Prompted by Mr Hague's fears, the Environment Agency is now searching hydrographical maps of the surrounding terrain.

Source: IC Croydon (29 August 2003)