ARCHAEOLOGISTS working on the Caernarfon and Bontnewydd bypass have uncovered a large burnt mound believed to be around 3500 years old.

They also found three troughs beneath it, with one thought to be a dug-out canoe. Whilst burnt mounds are fairly common sites and are usually found close to water, the unearthing of a trough measuring around three metres could be significant.

During excavation, it became apparent that a large section of timber was preserved within the trough, and could date back to at least 1500BC.

If the well preserved timber is a canoe as thought, it could be an extremely rare discovery and the first prehistoric example to be found in North West Wales.

The object has now been lifted and is currently being assessed further by specialists.

"A section of Roman Road has also been excavated. The route was identified on the geophysical survey and could be seen as a low bank running through a number of fields before excavation began.

The scheme has allowed the investigation of a much longer stretch of the road and has confirmed the route of the road between the forts of Segontium (Caernarfon) and Canovium (Caerhun, Conwy Valley), which was previously uncertain.

An early medieval industrial site which dates to the eighth century was also uncovered.

Gwynedd Archaeological Planning Service senior planning archaeologist, Jenny Emmett said: “The archaeological mitigation is going very well and results have added considerably to our knowledge of the area. The scheme is expected to continue to add information as further discoveries emerge, both on site and during the specialist analysis of the remains following the excavations.

“We are pleased with both the significance of the discoveries and the positive working relationships that have been established between all parties. We look forward to both continuing as the scheme progresses.”

Scheduled archaeological work will now take place on the next stage of earthwork operations. These findings do not impact on construction of the Caernarfon and Bontnewydd bypass which remains on schedule and could be completed by autumn 2021.