WINCHESTER civic chiefs have agreed a grant of £5,000 to help publish a record of the findings of archaeological digs in the city between 1962-71.

The money will help Prof Martin Biddle complete three further volumes of The Winchester Studies.

Since 2012 a Friends of Winchester Excavations Committee has raised some £150,000 towards the project.

But time is becoming pressing. A council report said: “With the passing of time, there is an increasing desire to see the completion of the Winchester Studies before the first hand knowledge of those who were involved in the excavations is lost.”

The grant has been agreed by Cllr Rob Humby, portfolio holder for economic development.