A Bronze Age timber circle discovered on a Norfolk beach should be conserved rather than returned to its original site, says English Heritage.

The 4,000-year-old structure, known as Seahenge, was found off Holme two years ago.

Despite protests by local residents and Druid groups, who said it was a religious monument, the timbers were dug up in the summer of 1999 for scientific study and to protect them from the waves.

English Heritage, which oversaw and financed the removal, said the wooden circle could be destroyed by the North Sea if it is returned to its