This is one in an occasional series of articles reproduced from Eureka – a club magazine published for many, many years – that preceded the website. This item was published in The New Scientist in 1983. Although Tam Dalyell’s suggestions have not become law, some are in place on a voluntary basis – such as PAS and FLOs and codes of conduct. And his proposed licencing of detectorists is risible. Who the hell would have policed it? No doubt it would have been bureaucracy with no real purpose with cost far outweighing effect. I think clubs probably police themselves quite well and NCMD serves a purpose. The last paragraph is particularly poignant when you consider how many building projects are delayed while important finds amongst the foundations are investigated. Only last week I was watching a news item about 1st- 4th century pilings at the northern edge of Southwark Island being unearthed in a current development.
If you do spot something relevant to our pass time in a newspaper or magazine please forward to me.
Andrew.
