It is alleged travellers used a digger to flatten around 50-yards of Offa's Dyke

Offa's Dyke: Part Of Monument Bulldozed
It is alleged travellers used a digger to flatten around 50-yards of the ancient monument, which lies in a World Heritage site.

An investigation has been launched after a section of Offa’s Dyke - the ancient earthwork running along the England and Wales border - was levelled with a bulldozer.

Police have been alerted and Cadw, the Welsh Government's heritage service, is making inquiries into damage to a stretch of the 1200-year-old protected monument, which experts have likened to "driving a road through Stonehenge".

Travellers have been accused of using a bulldozer to flatten at least 50-yards of the dyke, which lies in a World Heritage site, close to the Pontcysyllte aqueduct in North Wales, last Sunday.

The 8th century structure, which consists of a wide ditch and rampart, is Britain's longest ancient monument at 82 miles long.

It is seen as one of the great engineering achievements of the pre-industrial age, and the most significant surviving structure from Anglo-Saxon times.

It is thought King Offa of Mercia built it in the last quarter of the 8th century to mark the western boundary of his kingdom and guard against invasion from Wales.

It is a criminal offence to damage Offa's Dyke under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. Anyone breaking the law could face six months in jail or a £5,000 fine.

A spokesman for Cadw said: "We are aware of the reported damage to a section of Offa's Dyke which is a nationally important ancient monument protected by law.

"An investigation is currently underway to determine whether or not an offence has been committed. The police have been informed."

North Wales police confirmed they were aware of the situation and were in contact with Cadw.

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