The MPs and peers will join residents in Hackney on a three-week dig of a former Georgian terrace, in Shoreditch Park, which was destroyed by bombing.

The dig is run by the Museum of London and marks the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II.

The politicians all belong to the All Party Parliamentary Archaeology Group.

Finds will probably mainly consist of 19th and 20th Century artefacts but could date back as far as the Medieval period.

MPs taking part include Lord Redesdale, secretary of APPAG; Linda Gilroy, MP for Plymouth Sutton; Baroness Thomas of Wallacewood; Lord Brett; Martyn Jones, MP for Clwyd South; Baroness David; and Meg Hillier, MP for Hackney South and Shoreditch.

Lord Redesdale said: "The Shoreditch Park dig is a great way of getting people involved in discovering more about their local history, and taking an interest in the communities in which they live."

The three-week excavation, which is funded by the Big Lottery Fund, begins on Tuesday.