Prehistoric remains have been found on the site of a massive new housing estate.

Archaeologists believe they have discovered evidence of ancient burials at West Durrington, on the outskirts of Worthing, where 875 homes are to be built.

Now experts are carrying out further surveys in a bid to unearth more finds.

John Mills, archaeologist for West Sussex County Council, said: "We have been carrying out excavations in arable fields in two areas of the proposed West Durrington housing development.

"Last year, north-west ofthe Tesco store, the remains of a human cremation burial, probably from the Bronze Age, were found by archaeologists in a small pit in a trial trench.

"It may originally have been buried in a wooden or leather container or a sack but only the burnt bone survived.

"Prehistoric cremation burials, often buried in pottery urns, can occur on their own or in clusters, called urn cemeteries.

"This month, in the larger excavation area opened up around this cremation burial, the top part of a Later Bronze Age urn (1700-750BC), originally buried upside-down, was found in a small, shallow pit close to the burial found last year.

"The remainder of the urn had been ploughed away in antiquity.

"This urn also may have contained parts of a prehistoric human cremation burial, which will be removed to a laboratory for careful examination.

"A small number of pits and ditches, probably prehistoric, were also found. They were very shallow and evidence suggests they had been much reduced over the centuries by ploughing."

Mr Mills added: "In a second excavation area, further north, archaeologists have just begun to investigate a small number of pits and ditches, around the sites of what are probably two prehistoric pits containing burnt flint found in previous trial archaeological trenches.

"Fire-cracked flint stones were a common by-product of Bronze Age cooking methods."

Worthing borough councillors have given permission for the construction of the homes on farmland owned by the Somerset family, near Castle Goring.

However, ecological protesters have vowed to fight plans to cut down "ancient woodland" in Titnore Lane, the main feeder road to the new estate, which highways officials want to straighten to reduce accidents.