FAR from turning up a Bronze Age burial or golden breastplate, archaeologists found little more than a few broken bottles in an exploratory dig in the car park behind the One Stop shop in Snuff Street, Devizes this week.

But they are far from disconsolate, because they have confirmed that the defensive ditch of the medieval Devizes Castle is still in good condition and where they expected it to be.

Kennet District Council, which owns the freehold for the land, called in Wessex Archaeology as part of its scheme to redevelop the area called the North Gate, which takes in the former cattle market, Devizes Motor Company and adjoining land.

Senior engineer Steve Ibbetson said: "The dig confirms what we thought as far as the line of the old castle ditch is concerned. It follows the line of previous excavations in the central and west central car parks. But it was disappointing from the point of view of finds as nothing more interesting was turned up than a few broken bottles."

The trench dug by the archaeologists, 1m wide and 15m long, was due to be filled up yesterday afternoon and the car park was due to reopen in time for today's market.

The excavation is a necessary part of the pre-development preparation and essential if any scheme the council comes up with is to get planning approval.

Kennet District Council has decided to redevelop the area itself, after its second commercial partner, Phoenicia Barr, pulled out at the end of January.

A previous scheme to redevelop the North Gate site failed after Heritage Property Services pulled out.

Plans for the redevelopment should come before Kennet's regulatory committee in late summer or early autumn.