ARCHAEOLOGISTS are undertaking a dig to clear the way for a statue of composer Sir Edward Elgar in Hereford.

The work, in the Cathedral Close, must be completed before the concrete platform for the statue can be put in place.

Examination of the site is important because it is within the designated Hereford Area of Archaeological Importance and work in the past has uncovered vaults, graves and human remains.

Sculpture Jemma Pearson has completed the life-sized work, that shows Elgar with his bicycle.

The moulds have already been taken so that the casting in bronze can take place.

It is planned the statue, which has cost £60,000, will be unveiled on September 25.

Funding has come from local charitable donations, together with a major contribution from the Foundation for Sports and the Arts.

Elgar is Britain's best known composer and he lived in Hereford for seven years between 1904 and 1911, writing many of his greatest works during that time.