Remains of a Roman mosaic floor in Folkestone have been re-exposed during an archaeological dig.

The ancient tiled artwork is part of a large villa complex, built on the town's East Cliff during the Roman occupation of Britain, made up of more than fifty rooms and two bath-suites.

At one time the site was excavated as a tourist attraction, but in 1957 the council opted to re-bury the remains as upkeep was proving too costly.

Its location would have afforded its Roman occupants excellent views across the English Channel, but coastal erosion means the remains of the villa are increasingly in danger of falling into the sea.

Since 2010 members of the Canterbury Archaeological Trust have been leading teams of local volunteers and university students in excavations aimed at recording the most vulnerable artefacts before they are lost.

Lead site archaeologist Keith Parfitt said: "The villa at Folkestone represents a very important site in the archaeology of southern Britain.

"The aim of the excavation in 2022 is to determine just how much of the mosaic now survives so it can be decided how best to preserve what is left.

"We really didn’t know quite what to expect."

For most of the excavators this was the first time that they had been involved with uncovering a mosaic and there has been considerable excitement on site.

The mosaic will be reburied again at the end of the month, pending discussions on whether it should be lifted and moved to a museum for permanent preservation and display.

Historians know the site of the villa was occupied by native Britons for centuries before the Roman invasion, with evidence of Iron Age occupants of the cliff-top site.

The Roman mosaic being excavated this year belongs to the villa's grand central dining room and is made up of tiny cubes of cut tile and coloured stones set into a mortar bedding.