“I think it is going up, as metal-detecting equipment becomes cheaper and more easily available, and more people take up the hobby,” says Sgt Rob Simpson of Cheshire police’s rural crime team. But Mark Harrison, who heads Historic England’s nighthawking investigations, is not so sure. “I am not seeing more cases in my in-tray,” says the former policeman. ![]() According to Nicholas, “The data is really bad on it. After all, who can police all the fields in the country? the data we have got suggests it is increasing, but that may be because more attention is paid to it now.” In other words, we simply do not know, because most nighthawkers tend to get away with it. In Northern Ireland, it is illegal to remove any archaeological items from the ground without the landowner’s written consent. All objects found must be reported within two weeks. In England and Wales, you need permission from the landowner to go metal-detecting, unless the site is historically protected, in which case all metal-detecting is illegal. If you find treasure – gold or silver – you have to report it. If your find is significant, you may be in line for financial compensation from the treasure valuation committee. Photograph: West Mercia Police/AFP via Getty Images Some of the treasures, believed to be Anglo-Saxon, that were discovered in the biggest nighthawking case in British history, involving George Powell and Layton Davies.
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