Hawkers targeting Hadrians wall

[Puffin]

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/nor ... ll-8616324

Illegal digging on Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland has been branded a worrying “heritage crime.”

Evidence of excavations have been found by National Trust staff at Steel Rigg and Peel Crags on the central section of the world heritage site.

The damage, thought to be from “nighthawking” - the illegal use of metal detectors- has been condemned by police, English Heritage, the National Trust and Northumberland National Park Authority.

At the nearby site of Vindolanda Roman fort, where annual organised excavations have produced remarkable finds, director of the Vindolanda Trust Patricia Birley said: “The trust deplores the illegal use of metal detecting. It is a destructive activity that cheats ordinary interested people and our national heritage by stripping away the full archaeological value of objects and their contexts that only proper archaeological investigation can achieve.”

[Ingulphus]

I'm sure that the NCMD would have condemned it too had it been asked...

[Old Git John]

I'm sure that the NCMD would have condemned it too had it been asked...

Not just NCMD, we all must condemn this evil pastime. It is the morons who are involved in "Hawking"
who cause the responsible majority to be given a bad name, just because we use a metal detector.

Makes my blood boil

[dig-it-pete]

I'm sure that the NCMD would have condemned it too had it been asked...

Not just NCMD, we all must condemn this evil pastime. It is the morons who are involved in "Hawking"
who cause the responsible majority to be given a bad name, just because we use a metal detector.

Makes my blood boil

I'm totally with you there John

[Baldric]

BBC also running the story. See here Click Here

[Old Git John]

BBC also running the story. See here Click Here

I sincerely hope that they get the views of some genuine metal detectorists.

Genuine as in, not the criminal swines who are wrecking our credibility.

[weldbuzz]

Iv'e just seen it on our local ITV News, (Tyne Tees) they said the nighthawkers had taken artefacts etc, whilst I hate nighthawkers the reporters and people from English Heritage had no proof that anything had been found. The area is popular with walkers and us detectorists know the hawkers could have dug up aluminium cans, ring pulls, silver foil and bottle caps etc, there's a good chance they did. The reporters etc think that just because a hole had been dug that it would have been an artefact or coin.

[Deetektor]

Iv'e just seen it on our local ITV News, (Tyne Tees) they said the nighthawkers had taken artefacts etc, whilst I hate nighthawkers the reporters and people from English Heritage had no proof that anything had been found.

I agree, how do they know artfacts have been taken. They could have been modern coins dropped by hikers. If coins were indeed found ?

[Puffin]

Looking at these images, they don't look like detector holes, way too big???

http://metaldetectingway.com/metal-dete ... man-times/

[meandmydreams]

They look like opportunists digging at random to me. Difficult to associate with metal detectors unless they left their batteries at home!

[Old Git John]

Looking at these images, they don't look like detector holes, way too big???

http://metaldetectingway.com/metal-dete ... man-times/

Just looked at the link, and I agree with you, they are too big, and do not look as though dug by a detectorist.