PRIMARY school pupils have been finding out more about their village’s past by taking part in an archaeological dig.

The project has been running all week on the medieval common in the heart of Bures, on the Suffolk/Essex border.

It is being overseen by a group of experts including Time Team’s Carenza Lewis, of Cambridge University, and local historian Leigh Alston.

Each day this week a different class from Bures Primary School has been spending time at the site to find out more about the village’s distant past, often accompanied by interested parents.

The common, which was bought by the village last year to protect it from being developed, was used as a rubbish tip for centuries.

Mr Alston said that although the dig had not provided too much evidence of medieval village life, it had turned up plenty of interesting artefacts from other periods.

He said: “We have found a big pair of early Victorian scales from the middle of the field. It’s been a great success as a community project and we have had as many as 100 people on the field every day.”

He said there were now plans to convert a disused barn on the site into a village museum and display some of the week’s finds.

Year three teacher Kate Whiteley said her class had really enjoyed yesterday’s session.

She said: “It was a lovely opportunity. They found old teeth, bones, patterned pottery and pipes.

“It was really nice as well because lots of parents who weren’t working could come and join in and share the experience.”