A Kent man has appeared on the BBC show Digging For Britain after discovering the UK’s oldest shoe and an “ultra-rare” piece of 4,488-year-old leather.

Steve Tomlinson, from Birchington, discovered the pieces on a foreshore in the north of the county.

Thought to have belonged to a toddler, it is also the world’s smallest Bronze Age shoe, dating between 2,910 and 2,803 years old.

The professional archaeologist has now made a TV appearance to speak about the “remarkable” finds.

The 51-year-old said: “It hasn’t really sunk in.

“To actually find the oldest shoe ever is extremely special and to get the chance to show it on TV is absolutely fantastic.

“It was an honour.”

The Neolithic leather – which he describes as “ultra-rare” – is thought to have been part of a bag and is tanned with a waterproof substance.

It dates back to the same time Stonehenge was built, and is between 4,600 to 4,488 years old.

The shoe was found in September 2022, while the leather was found just 60 feet away on March 23, 2023.

Digging For Britain aired on BBC Two at 8pm last night.

Mr Tomlinson added: “It was a fantastic experience and an amazing feeling to think that little bit of leather has turned out to be what it has.

“It’s beyond my wildest dreams.

“You never know what's out there – it's remarkable.”

The archaeologist can not reveal where exactly the artefacts were found in North Kent, but they were dug up from anaerobic conditions.

The ancient footwear measures 15cm in length.

In 2005, a 2,000-year-old shoe found by archaeologists excavating a quarry in Somerset was believed to be the UK's oldest.

But the discovery in Kent is even older – and is also the smallest Bronze Age shoe ever found in the world.

Digging For Britain is available to watch on BBC Iplayer.