A HOARD of Bronze Age axes discovered in south-west Herefordshire legally qualify as treasure, a coroner has ruled.

A treasure trove inquest held at Hereford Town Hall this week heard that five socketed axes dating to the Late Bronze Age were found buried in close proximity to one another at a depth of around two and a half feet below ground by metal detectorist Karl Evans in January 2013.

The find was swiftly reported to Finds Co-ordinator Mark Lodwick and were deposited at the National Museum for Wales, where they have been examined and studied.

Herefordshire coroner Mark Bricknell concluded that the axe hoard qualified as treasure.