Earlier this year it was reported in the national press that illegal metal detectoring had taken place at Cissbury Ring in Worthing and caused damage to this important listed archaeological site. As Chairman of the All Part Archaeology Group and someone who studied archaeology I was particularly concerned with this news and spoke to the British Museum and the Finds Liaison Officer (FLO) for Sussex, Edwin Wood, who is based at the Barbican in Lewes. The Portable Antiquities Scheme, which I strongly support, was set up for responsible metal detectorists to report their finds to the appropriate authorities and have them appropriately identified and recorded. Illegal activity like this gives metal detecting a bad name and is in any case illegal on all National Trust land who are responsible for this site.
Subsequently I organised a site meeting on the top of Cissbury Ring attended by Edwin Wood, the County Archaeologist John Mills, local councillors, representatives from Worthing Museum, the National Trust and members of Sussex Police including PC Daryl Holter who is responsible for heritage crime. Meridian TV also sent a camera crew and broadcast a feature of the problem. As a result we are trying to raise awareness amongst the public to report attacks like this and Worthing Museum will be organising an education day later in the year. Do keep your eyes peeled. You can find out more about the PAS here: https://finds.org.uk