ARCHAEOLOGISTS have carried out a dig at the site of a new firefighter training centre in Bury.

Experts from the University of Salford and members of the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) project team trawled trenches at the Wellington Street site before final design work gets under way.

Norman Redhead, from the Greater Manchester Archaeological Advisory Service, said: “We wanted to investigate the site because of its potential historical interest, in particular industrial archaeology, and also to follow national planning policy.

“We suspected there would be archaeological interest in the site, particularly because it’s so close to the centre of Bury and the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal once ran through it.”

One of the earliest developments at the site was an 18th century bleachworks — associated with the Peel family — and in the 19th century there was a paper works.

Mr Redhead added: “We were looking for evidence to tell the story of the development from water power in the late 18th century, through the very early use of steam power to the much bigger steam engines in the mid-19th century. There were also workers’ houses and a manager’s house built in the mid-19th century which could tell us what the living conditions were like.”

A report outlining the outcomes of the dig is due to be published soon and GMFRS has met with neighbours to tell them about the site and the benefits it will have for the community.

Station manager Alan Topping said: “Everyone we’ve met with has shown interest in the project.”

The 10-acre site is being transformed so it can provide the most realistic training scenarios for crews. Existing features on the land will be used — such as a large warehouse, tunnels and culverts, cellars, bridges, cuttings and embankments, rubble piles and old mill walls, a lodge and a the river.