STUDENT archaeologists unearthed what is believed to be a Georgian coin when they dug two exploratory pits in Darlington at the weekend.

The team of nightclass students dug the pits in the quadrangle garden and grounds of Darlington College of Technology to unearth any hidden treasures. They also carried out a dig at the college's Catterick Garrison campus, in North Yorkshire.

Award-winning archaeologist Margaret Manchester, who teaches part-time at the college, led the digs, which were organised to coincide with Channel 4 television show Time Team's Big Dig exercise, billed as Britain's biggest mass archaeological dig.

Time Team challenged thousands of people across the country to dig a one-metre square test pit and report any findings to be featured on shows being presented nightly last week by actor Tony Robinson.

In the quadrangle in Darlington diggers found a coin which Ms Manchester believes dates from Georgian times, some Victorian pottery and some old pipes.

The area around the Darlington test pit has been built up since 1897 when it stood at the entrance to the town's high school.

Previously it was open farmland and remnants of agricultural barns have been found in nearby gardens.

Ms Manchester will now be carrying out tests on the material unearthed to discover more about the history of the sites.

She said: "I teach an evening GCSE archaeology class at the college and the students, who are aged between 40 and 70, are big fans of the show and it was great experience for them to take part in a dig.

"The Catterick site was a little disappointing, but in Darlington the coin was quite a good find. We are having it tested, but we think it is Georgian."