A TEAM of archaeologists has descended on the city to map Roman ruins lying beneath Verulamium Park for a St Albans district council supported project.

Academics from University College London (UCL) are using archaeological geophysics as part of a week-long course to survey and chart archaeology underground without having to excavate.

Dr Kris Lockyear from the Institute of Archaeology at UCL is leading the project and said Verulamium Park was the biggest site being surveyed.

The work is part of a wider scheme by the university and local archaeological societies to survey Iron Age and Roman Age sites around Herts.

Mayor of St Albans, Cllr Annie Brewster, visited the site on Tuesday to see how the work was progressing.

She said: “As we are the largest of the four cities in Britain that do not still sit on top of their original Roman site, the results of this cutting edge surveying will be ground-breaking.

Cllr Daniel Chichester-Miles, portfolio holder for the environment at the council, said the “fascinating project” would help provide more information about the Roman town of Verulamium: “It is the first time that we will have a complete layout of the town other than that provided from aerial images and excavations that have been undertaken.”