A HOUSEHOLDER doing some building work in his back garden unearthed more than a blocked drain - he came across artefacts thousands of years old.
Anthony Lloyd-Wallis, of Yarm, who studied archaeology at university, was amazed to find the prehistoric and medieval remains.
They included 3,000 year-old flint tools, which are still sharp, and fragments of medieval pots.
Mr Lloyd-Wallis said: "I could hardly believe it when the first finds started turning up just below the concrete yard surface."
Peter Rowe, of Tees Archaeology, said: "We know that Yarm has a long history and that important remains have been found in the past.
"You can almost imagine prehistoric folk travelling up the Tees in dug-out canoes before emptying their cargo of flint in what became Mr Lloyd-Wallis's garden.
"We would love to hear from anyone else who has come across finds like these."
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