Ref. 28700-45THE skull of a woolly mammoth will be kept in Swindon before it is moved to its permanent home in an education centre.

The skull, believed to be around 100,000 years old, was unearthed after bones were spotted sticking out of a working gravel pit at the Cotswold Water Park near Ashton Keynes.

It was due to take centre stage at the official opening of the Cotswold Water Park's Gateway centre near Cirencester last week.

But there is some confusion over ownership. Fossil expert Dr Neville Hollingworth discovered the 100kg skeleton in January.

He said that as the finder he has rights, but insists he does not want the skull for himself.

He said: "I don't need to own the skull. The only issue I have is that it is displayed somewhere accessible to the public, and allows research to be carried out.

"It will have to be kept under strict environmental controls, regarding temperature and humidity, to ensure the bones are preserved.

"The bones will disintegrate if these are not properly controlled so it is critical."

Dr Hollingworth said the temperature should be maintained at between 20C and 21C and humidity should remain at 50 per cent.

The skeleton measures about a metre by metre-and-a-half, and still contains some teeth. It is only the second to be discovered in Britain. The other was found in the 19th century in Ilford, Essex.

Dr Hollingworth said excavation work would start in the next fortnight to find the mammoth's tusks. "The water level is dropping now so we should be underway in the next couple of weeks," he said.

"We are waiting for the results of carbon dating and uranium isotope dating to give us more information about how old the skull is.

"We should have that information within a month."

The skull will be put on show at the Swindon Natural Environment Research Council, where Dr Hollingworth works as a science programmes officer, for a month.

After that it will probably be transferred to the Gateway Centre.

Acting chief executive of the water park, Simon Pickering, said a loan agreement is being drawn up so the skull can be displayed.

Because it's not a metal object such as coins, it is not classed as treasure trove and has not been reported to a coroner for consideration at an inquest to establish ownership.

The gravel pit is owned by Stroud firm Moreton C Cullimore Gravels.

Roger Cullimore, managing director of Moreton C Cullimore Gravels Ltd, said ongoing discussions for the future of the skull were taking place and that it should be at the Gateway Centre within two or three months.

Alex Emery