IC Liverpool: Ambitious plans are being made to excavate a large Roman site in Chester, England which includes a 1st century Roman fortress. An archaeological team has begun to work closely with devolopers to excavate and save a huge Roman site in Chester's Northgate area. The site, which includes a Roman fortress, is expected to be the richest in a city that already has a rich Roman heritage.

Mike Morris, head of archaeology at Chester City Council said,

"We already have a good idea of what is there from previous digs which have unearthed evidence of soldier barracks and also Saxon remains. We believe large parts of important remains survive.

"We know the fortress was not just a single phase of building - it was demolished and rebuilt several times so we expect to find structural remains and possibly roads and drains.

"We may discover walls with decorated plaster and artefacts, maybe even weapons. It will give us a better idea of who occupied these buildings and what life was like in Roman Chester."

Trench digging has already begun to deteremine which areas should be excavated. The excavations are part of a