Skeletons that could date back as far as Roman Britain have been hailed as “exciting archaeological finds” after their discovery in west Suffolk.

Nine skeletons and other historical artefacts have been uncovered around Barnham, Bardwell, Pakenham and Rougham, near Bury St Edmunds.

The discoveries were made while Anglian Water prepared to install a new £9m, 31km pipeline, with the five-month dig revealing a host of rare treasures.

Eight skeletons believed to be of the late of post-Roman era - AD300-500 - were unearthed near Barnham, two of which were buried with a brooch and knife as grave goods.

Another Roman skeleton and four cremation pits have also been found.

Jo Everitt, Anglian Water’s environment and heritage assessor, said the volume of discoveries would be enough to fill half a shipping container.

She added: “We’ve made some exciting archaeological finds here which are a fantastic reward for the careful planning that went into this project. “The team has been excavating around 30 different locations along a vast pipeline route and the discoveries have been numerous, so the archaeologists have been extremely busy.

“Because the finds are so rich and varied in date, they will make a great display.”