Remains of huge Roman villa found near Port Talbot in south Wales

Archaeologists have discovered the largest Roman villa ever found in south Wales.

It was unearthed underneath a popular deer park near the town of Port Talbot.

Experts say the villa's remains are located less than a metre below the surface.

The new discovery looks to be well preserved because the land has not been ploughed or built on.

The discovery of the Roman villa was located in Margam Country Park, around two miles away from the town of Port Talbot.

The park is already a popular attraction, with an Iron Age hillfort, as well as the remains of a Norman Abbey and a Victorian castle.

The Roman villa remains were excavated after scanning devices detected archaeological features hidden underground.

Experts say that the villa had multiple rooms as well as a defensive enclosure.

Project lead Dr Alex Langlands, from Swansea University, described it as a "really impressive and prestigious" building, likely to have been decorated with statues and mosaic floors.

"We've got what looks to be a corridor villa with two wings and a veranda running along the front," he explained.

"It's around 43m long and looks to have six main rooms [to the front] with two corridors leading to eight rooms at the rear."

Dr Langlands added: "This would have been quite a busy place - the centre of a big agricultural estate and lots of people coming and going."

Experts said the discovery could to be town's equivalent of Pompeii - an important ancient Roman archaeological site located in Italy.

They also think it could provide a better idea of "what life was like back in the first, second, third, fourth and maybe even into the 5th Century".