Police charge four men with illegal metal detecting at ancient Suffolk site

Four men who were arrested after being found at a scheduled ancient monument with metal detecting equipment in October last year have been charged, said police.

They were discovered and arrested at a secret protected site in mid Suffolk.

Metal detecting on sites scheduled as ancient monuments is illegal without permission from the secretary of state for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

Four men were spotted at 10.15pm on Wednesday 12 October and subsequently arrested on suspicion of using a metal detector on a site scheduled as an ancient monument, contrary to Section 42 of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act, said Suffolk Police.

The group was also found in possession of items suspected to have been from the site.

The men were taken to Martlesham Police Investigation Centre for questioning, before being released under investigation.

Bradley Ling, 24, of Pond Lane, Surlingham in Norfolk; Kyle Mickleburgh, 25 of Norwich, Norfolk; Michael Travell, 37, of Norwich; and Aaron Williams, 25, of Fleeters Hill, Hingham in Norfolk, have all been charged with the use of a metal detector in a protected place without the written consent of the Commission, as well as being charged with going equipped for theft.

Williams was also charged with removing without written consent an object of archaeological/historical interest found using a metal detector in a protected place.

All four men are due to appear at Ipswich Magistrates’ Court on 26 May.  

The East Anglian region is rich in archeological treasures with legal metal detectorists helping historians better understand the past.

For the past two years, the South-East of England has topped the charts for the number of finds according to provisional figures from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know