A 55-year-old man has unearthed the largest treasure of Anglo-Saxon gold ever discovered.

Terry Herbert, from Burntwood, Staffordshire, made the discovery of 5kg of gold and 2.5kg of silver on private farmland using a 14-year-old metal detector.

Experts said the collection of more than 1,500 pieces was unparalleled in size and would redefine perceptions of Anglo-Saxon England.

It may take more than a year to value the treasure, which is reported to include warfare equipment, sword pommel caps and hilt plates, many of which contain precious stones.

Leslie Webster, former keeper at the British Museum's Department of Prehistory and Europe, said: "This is going to alter our perceptions of Anglo-Saxon England as radically, if not more so, as the Sutton Hoo discoveries. (It is) absolutely the equivalent of finding a new Lindisfarne Gospels or Book of Kells."

The precise location of the find has not been disclosed, but it is thought to be near the Lichfield border in South Staffordshire.

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