A Southampton university has played a part in "one of the most important and exciting" UK Iron Age discoveries.

A huge Iron Age hoard was discovered in a Yorkshire field, and now could change perceptions of northern Britain's ancient elite.

The Melsonby Hoard, found by metal detectorist Peter Heads in 2021, consists of more than 800 items, including wagon parts, ceremonial spears, and pony harnesses.

One ditch was carefully examined on site, while another was extracted as a whole and was X-rayed at the University of Southampton.

Now that it has been scanned and x-rayed, it will be kept intact, as a block, to preserve what is inside.

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Professor Tom Moore, head of archaeology at Durham University, said: "The Melsonby Hoard is of a scale and size that is exceptional for Britain and probably even Europe."

The hoard suggests that power and wealth in pre-Roman times were not confined to southern England.

Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, said: "Quite simply, this is one of the most important and exciting Iron Age period discoveries made in the UK."

The hoard's value has been calculated at £254,000.