Britain risks losing a large part of its precious historical heritage as archaeologists are forced to dump their finds because of a lack of storage space.

Thousands of objects which could shed light on the lives of our ancestors - such as Roman pottery fragments, Stone Age flints, medieval coins and animal bones – are being abandoned or lost because there is nowhere to store them properly.

Archaeology groups have now warned the country is in danger of “forgetting its own past”.

The problem is having a particular impact on community archaeology groups who have been told that cuts in funding mean local museums can no longer afford to store and curate their finds.