ARCHAEOLOGISTS will be back in Wallingford this weekend to resume investigations by probing rubbish pits, the old town rampart and castle bailey.

The Burh to Borough project, organised by experts and students from Oxford, Leicester and Exeter universities, aims to unlock the secrets of historic Wallingford.

The first excavation last summer saw teams of archaeologists dig deep at several sites around the town to attempt to map the town’s development from Saxon through Norman and medieval times.

Now they will work through from Saturday to July 25 at sites including Kinecroft and Castle Meadows.

Judy Dewey, curator at Wallingford Museum, which is helping with the dig alongside members of Wallingford Historical and Archaeological Society, said: “Geophysical surveys have taken place during the spring, which produced spectacular results. These have determined the exact location of the trenches to be excavated.

“There will be at least three trenches throughout the town, but with some special emphasis on the Wallingford Castle Meadows to reveal further features of this important site.

“Anyone is welcome to visit the sites during digging hours to see the work in progress and learn what is being discovered.

“However, it is always best to visit the museum first to get the latest news and to plan your visit.”

At Kinecroft, a trench will be located adjacent to last year’s, in which 12th-century buildings and a road were discovered.

The dig is attempting to discover more about the lives of the people who lived there by examining rubbish pits at the rear of the houses.

At Castle Meadows, a trench will be dug next to the excavation undertaken in the 1960s and will focus on the town rampart.

And, for the first time, an archaeological excavation will take place inside the castle bailey.

Last month, Wallingford Town Council agreed to let the archaeologists return to Wallingford, but only if they promised to properly restore the site afterwards.

The results of the excavations and artefacts unearthed will be displayed in Wallingford Museum, in Flint House, High Street.