A police cordon will now remain around an area of woodland at Monkton Farleigh, in which spent ammunition cases were discovered, for the next 24 hours.

And police are warning members of the public to avoid the area until the cases are cleared from the area by bomb disposal experts.

A member of the public reported finding a large number of spent cases while walking in woodland about 50 metres from Monkton Rise road yesterday afternoon.

Bomb disposal experts were contacted and returned today to clear the casings, but will now need more time tomorrow to clear the thousands of shell cases.

They were discovered in what is believed to be an old bunker that had been covered in earth. The bunker and its contents were only exposed after a tree close by was uprooted in the recent bad weather causing a small landslide.

And although there is no danger to the public, dog walkers, joggers and others are asked to avoid the area until experts have completed the work tomorrow.