AN archaeological dig has started at the site of the burnt out buildings in High Town in Hereford.

Digs are carried out at building sites within the medieval walls of the city as the zone is one of only five Areas of Archaeological Importance in the country.

Andy Boucher from Headland Archaeology said: "There are very few holes that are dug in the city that don't have some observation or other. You don't have to go very far to get something quite significant."

A fire ripped through the site in High Town in 2010 and has been an eyesore since then.

The new owners, Birmingham-based Elevate Property Group, have outline planning consent for a mixed-use development including two shops, 19 apartments,

penthouses and townhouses with associated parking.

The plans were originally for 20 homes but one had to be removed from the plans to make way for an electricity sub-station.

Once the dig is complete the buildings will be demolished in August or September.

Mr Boucher said: "Underneath here [the site in High Town] the Saxon rampart dates back to the late 9th century AD- some of the earliest Saxon defences in the country."

He said that there is also a ditch on the site which is believed to have been restored in 1055/1056 by Harold Godwinson (later Harold II).

Mr Boucher said: "The Welsh had attacked Hereford. The story goes that they herded all the population into the cathedral and burnt it down with them in."

Harold, who was at the time the second most powerful man in England after the monarch, strengthened the city's defences with a 16-metre wide ditch.

The archaeologists will mark where the Saxon wall is situated to ensure that the piles that are necessary to build the development do not damage the ancient rampart.

Archaeologists will also make a detailed record of the fire-damaged buildings before they are taken down and developers aim to keep the front of the building.

Simon Janes, project manager from BACE Construction Consultants, said a planning application will be put in to finalise the details of the build and they will then start building as soon as they can.

During the last six years attempts to develop the site have been blighted despite enforcement notices as the previous owners went into administration.