Evidence of a prehistoric settlement has been discovered in fields that could be used for an airport runway extension in Guernsey, in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy. Archaeologists working for the Public Services Department have uncovered signs of life in St Peter's some 3,500 years ago on land at the west end of the current landing strip.
     "We don't tend to find archaeology of where people lived - we only seem to get the places where the dead were buried with dolmens and suchlike," said States archaeology officer Phil de Jersey. "There was certainly late Bronze Age occupation here from 1500 BCE to 1000 BCE with pottery and flints present from the remains of the structures, postholes, and at least one ditch where there had been a lot of burning, for some reason." There was also a scattering of medieval pottery. However, there was no real evidence of structures, which might show the area had been farmed.
     The States bought the fields, which are bordered by La Route de Plaisance and La Rue de la Mare, last year for £135,000. An option under consideration for upgrading the airport runway is to extend it into them.

Source: The Guernsey Press (30 March 2009)