A MAJOR archaeological find, of international significance, has been discovered on the outskirts of Hereford.

But the 4,000-year-old monument will be hidden undergound because it stands in the way of the Rotherwas relief road. So the newly-discovered historical treasure will only be open briefly to the public.

The monument is thought to have been constructed around 2,000 BC and dates back to the same period as Stonehenge. Archaeologists believe this major find may have no parallels in Europe, with the closest similar artefact being the 2,000-year-old serpent mounds of the Ohio river valley in the USA.

On July 4, it was confirmed that the snake-shaped monument, which has been termed the Rotherwas Ribbon' by archaeologists, will not be on permanent view, despite the wishes of the experts who have painstakingly worked on it.

Project leader Simon Sworn, of Worcestershire Historical Environmental and Archaeology Service, said the nature of the monument would not allow it to survive in the open air.

"It is quite fragile even though it is big," he said. "But we are preserving it in a way that, although it won't be physically visible, it will be preserved underground for future generations."

The monument, which it is believed was used for ceremonial purposes, will be protected by fine sand and a membrane will go over it.

Above this will sit a series of soil layers and the ongoing Rotherwas access road will be raised, in a change from the original plans.

The relief road will not, however, be re-routed to avoid the monument - due to excessive costs and private land ownership.

"We live on a crowded island, with an extraordinarily rich and lengthy history and the landscape is littered with these remains, but we cannot move everything around to avoid them," said the county archaeologist for Herefordshire, Dr Keith Ray.

There were some opportunities to view the historic remains with specially-arranged viewings for Herefordshire residents.

"We are very concerned to enable the public to experience and see these things as they come through," said Dr Ray. "It is not possible to allow members of the public on to development sites but, because of the nature of the development and the co-operative attitude of the developers, we can create this window - but I know it won't be enough for some people."

The snake-shaped ribbon of fire-cracked stones appears to have been carefully laid to form a surface and it is thought it was constructed during the early bronze age.

The three-dimensional structure runs at right-angles to the new road and comprises of stones which have shattered after being heated by fire then dropped into water.