A STRETCH of Hadrian's Wall discovered beneath a building site is to remain hidden from view under a four-storey hotel.

The 15 metres of Roman remnants, preserved 3.5m below ground level, were found by developers building flats in Melbourne Street, Newcastle, prompting the city council to carry out an archaeological study.

The stretch is also three metres beneath land earmarked for a 120-bed hotel development.

The council has decided it would be too costly to display the ancient structure and has opted to refill the site.

But they will place a plaque nearby telling passers-by what lies beneath their feet and say the wall will be preserved in case future generations want to dig it up.

Although the wall, one of the North's top tourist attractions, has been classified a World Heritage site, English Heritage has told planners it is content for the find to be buried away from public view, as long as it is preserved.

But Newcastle Central MP Jim Cousins is now calling for property firm The Moorfield Group to be forced to make a permanent feature of the wall, and is furious at the conservation group.

A council spokesman said: "The section of wall was recorded but, because it was small and lies beneath a busy junction and extensive buildings, the council and English Heritage decided it should be back-filled and preserved for future generations."

However, Mr Cousins says the public should be able to visit the site and is angry that the discovery is to be buried as quickly as it was found.

He said: "We should try to incorporate the wall as a factor into the hotel plan and it could be a point of attraction."