EVIDENCE of a vast prisoner of war camp built by the Romans for rebellious Scots has been unearthed near Hadrian's Wall.

Archaeologists say the latest excavations at the Vindolana fort, near Hexham, have added weight to a theory that up to 2,000 prisoners could have been held there in primitive stone huts.

It means the 3rd Century constructions could constitute the first PoW camp in Britain.

The latest digs bring to 13 the number of circular stone huts uncovered at the site, the first two of which were excavated in the 1930s.

Vindolanda Trust deputy director Patricia Birley said the huts, each about 6m in diameter, were arranged back-to-back in rows of five, with single doorways leading into narrow streets.

She said: "There could have been up to 300 huts within the walls of the fort and I believe we will find more.

"There is no justification to think they were used by Roman soldiers.

"They were too small and basic and too close to each other.

"Roman soldiers lived in barrack blocks which followed a pattern of rectangular buildings with cooking facilities."

She said the huts may have been used by people seeking refuge during uprisings. It was more likely they were used to house hostages of war.

Ms Birley said there was the possibility they were linked to the uprising near Edinburgh between 209 and 211, when Emperor Septimus Severus arrived in Britain.

She said: "There are records of Severus having taken hostages, and he did take families rather than individuals.

"Some families were sent to Rome, where they were paraded, but some might have been sent to Vindolanda as well."

Ms Birley said many of the huts had hearths. The latest foundations were discovered in the south-western corner of the site.

The fort was built in AD 90, soon after the Roman occupation, while Hadrian's Wall was built between AD 122 and 128, a mile to the north.