12th May 2005, 02:36 PM
I hear what you're saying Gumbo. The Government should be applauded for signing up to Valletta in the first place, but the implementation of it since has been non-existent. The convention has no real purpose other than to ensure that the archaeological heritage is looked after properly, and this just isn't happening - as we all know. English Heritage should be pushing for better legislation, but currently appears to be more intent on withdrawing from performing any practical role in archaeology at all. The question of who should be regulating the archaeological work is quite clearly open to debate, but at the moment, outside of the planning system, nobody is responsible for doing any proper quality control. This means that any old Tom, Dick or Harry can knacker a perfectly good site for TV ratings, treasure hunting or just plain old fun. Surely that shouldn't be allowed to continue?