Traces of tank repair works from just after the second world war have been uncovered by an archaeological evaluation project linked to development proposals on a Hereford industrial estate.
Bits of tank track which appears to have got bogged down in soft soil have been unearthed in one of the 24 trenches of the information gathering exercise, being carried out by Hereford-based Archaeological Investigations, which began earlier this month on the former munitions site at Rotherwas.
The proposals are part of a planned major expansion of the industrial estate in the Rotherwas Futures programme that could bring more than 700 new jobs to the area.
At the eastern end of the 14-acre site, several lengths of armoured vehicle tracks have been uncovered - a legacy of the time the site was operated by the Royal Ordnance service during and immediately after the war.
The base of a nearby trench reveals ruts believed to have been created by tanks. The ruts, which have filled with soft sand, are cut into the surrounding clay soil.
As well as uncovering a layer of clinker from the munitions work on the site, the dig has also uncovered a stone mound or surface of unknown but potentially early Bronze Age date and is made up of a mix of quarried and water worn stones.
Further work will continue to establish the date and direction of this track.
In another part of the site archaeologists have also found a small flint blade with a fine serrated edge - believed to be early Bronze Age, 4,000 years old.
In other trenches, post holes probably for the timbers supporting long vanished buildings have been uncovered along with a charcoal-lined pit or ditch, at the depth where prehistoric activity would be anticipated.
"These digs are a standard part of planning procedure to gain information before a planning application is submitted - however, due to the finds made nearby in 2007, we've asked for more trenches to be dug than would normally be required, to give us a better chance of finding anything important that might be here," said Dr Keith Ray Herefordshire Council's county archaeologist.
"The archaeologists are about a third of the way through their programme and there are certain areas we will now seek to focus in on."
Similar archaeological excavations have begun on land between Holme Lacy Road and the River Wye.