METAL detectorist John Bryant has defended the vast majority of his colleagues whose activities have helped unearth countless treasures for the benefit of posterity.

Mr Bryant, 65, from Bottlesford, near Pewsey, was concerned when he read that a metal detectorist had been stopped from digging holes in Cooper's Meadow in Marlborough, by town councillor Ian Perryman.

He said: "These people, who we call night hawks, spoil it for the vast majority of decent detectorists who are knowledgeable, responsible and polite. We always ask permission before we start working on any site and inform the owner of the land of anything we find.

"There's good and bad in every sort and these night hawks are just as much of a pest to us as they are to anyone else."

But he takes issue with Coun Perryman on one allegation. He said: "You don't need a licence to go detectoring. You need permission from the landowner but not a licence."

He said that detectors have helped uncover 81,000 artefacts which have subsequently found their way to museums all over the country.