Another mass grave under Shrewsbury incinerator site?

A second mass grave and a medieval brick kiln could be lying underneath the Battle of Shrewsbury site, an archaeologist has claimed.

Stephen Timms, who has been commissioned by the Battlefield 1403 visitor centre to give evidence against Veolia's plans for a £60 million incinerator in the area, said thorough investigations need to be carried out before any such scheme is even considered on the site.

He was speaking at a planning inquiry into the proposed burner which resumed yesterday at Shirehall following a break over the weekend.

Mr Timms said an aerial photograph of the battlefield site had raised the possibility that there could be a brick kiln – a furnace in which bricks are baked or burned – in the area dating to around the period of the battle.

He also said there was a chance there could be a second mass grave somewhere on the site which would be of national significance if it was discovered.

Mr Timms also told planning inspector John Woolcock, who is overseeing the appeal hearing, that he did believe an archaeological report carried out for Veolia did not contain sufficient information for Shropshire Council to make an informed decision about archaeology on the site.

He said: "If there was another mass grave located on the site then obviously depending on its state and extent it would be considered to be nationally important.

"I think the situation at present is that there are sufficient questions regarding the extent and significance of the archaeology on the site that really warrants further investigation."

Mr Timms also claimed that if construction work began on the site, modern equipment such as bulldozers and other machines could cause damage to important artefacts.

Niall Blackie, representing Battlefield 1403, earlier told the inquiry that the creation of an incinerator would damage the look of the historic site.

Mr Blackie stressed that the Battle of Shrewsbury was an important part of English history and claimed that siting a burner close to the site would cause 'substantial harm'.

Waste firm Veolia wants to build the facility at Battlefield Enterprise Park and has launched an appeal against Shropshire Council's strategic planning committee's decision to unanimously reject the scheme in 2010.

The firm says its development could generate enough power to supply 10,000 homes.