Novice metal detectorist stopped by police for Roman treasure hunt at protected site
Date of alert:
Thursday 31 March 2022
Crime Ref:
Force:
Warwickshire Police
A novice Warwickshire metal detector enthusiast was arrested for undertaking a Roman treasure hunt at a protected monument. Warwickshire Rural Crime Team say that the south Warwickshire man had failed to educate himself on what he could and could not look for.
They say that the man, who has not been identified, explained under caution that he had been hoping to find Roman treasure as he went about detecting on an Ancient Scheduled Monument. According to Historic England, a Ancient Scheduled Monuments are nationally important archaeological sites.
As a result of this, they are protected under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. During the joint investigation, the man's home was searched by the teams and detecting equipment seized.
