Roman grave uncovered during A66 roadworks in Cumbria

Image caption, Archaeologists said the grave "might have been alongside the old Roman road"

A Roman grave has been uncovered during resurfacing work on a road in Cumbria.

The remains, which also included fragments of pottery, were found less than a metre under the A66 at Kirkby Thore near Appleby.

Archaeologists carried out a detailed investigation on the site before it was covered over.

Lead archaeologist John-James Atkinson said the grave "might have been alongside the old Roman road, which we are still trying to find".

Image caption, The grave was less than a metre below the surface of the road

Mr Atkinson, who said the site will be preserved "in situ", described the find as "exciting, but not unexpected".

He added: "The A66 has been a road for at least 2,000 years so when machines came in to start taking the [road surface] off we monitored that and noticed what seemed to be a grave.

"We can certainly say it is Roman as we found some pottery ware typical of early and late occupation in Britain."

The archaeology team has made detailed records, including the exact location.