'We'll bring Hoard home'

A POLITICAL leader has pledged to fight to bring the Staffordshire Hoard back to the county where it was found.

County council leader Philip Atkins has declared the authority can "do the Staffordshire Hoard justice".

The Anglo-Saxon gold and silver artefacts were uncovered by a metal detector in a south Staffordshire field last month and are expected to be valued at millions of pounds.

The haul of at least 1,345 items was officially declared as treasure by South Staffordshire coroner Andrew Haigh.

Mr Atkins said: "This is our heritage and we need to do it justice. We have a duty to represent the best interests of the people of Staffordshire. We will do everything we can to bring the Hoard home."

The treasure will be valued by the British Museum, in a process which could take up to 12 months. Once a value has been set, the county council, together with Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Birmingham City Council, intends to use Government grants to buy the hoard and preserve it in Staffordshire.

More about the Staffordshire Hoard: