Volunteers are currently excavating World War Two trenches at a North Yorkshire beauty spot.

The 'Raiding the Bank' project has been hard at work digging into two wartime trenches on Roulston Scar, Sutton Bank.

The World War Two trenches were dug in the 1940's as part of the occupation of the present-day gliding club airfield by the Ministry of Defence at the onset of World War II.

(Image: North Yorkshire National Park)The trenches in Sutton Bank were a type of defence called a "slit trench" designed to protect soldiers from incoming fire and shrapnel but were small and quick to excavate.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire National Park said: "Using archaeological techniques we created a record of the trenches that will aid our understanding of them and their impact on the Iron Age monument beneath.

(Image: North Yorkshire National Park) (Image: North Yorkshire National Park) "There are six trenches in the area in total and from our investigations seem to be much more substantial and well defined than initially thought.

"They appear to have overlapping arcs of fire for mutual support and would have formed a formidable defence."

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At the time it was feared that the airfield - well known amongst the budding glider pilots of Europe as an excellent landing and launch point - would become a target for an invasion of Britain by the German army.

As the war progressed the direct threat of invasion receded leaving only these trenches as a physical reminder of that worrying time.

Raiding the Bank will explore more of the fascinating World War II history as the project unfolds.