BRADWELL’S historic chapel is being protected by police after illegal treasure hunters dug holes in the grounds.

The chapel of St Peter-on-the-wall has come under attack from “night hawks” who search for treasure without permission.

The Grade I building is the 19th oldest in England and dates back to 654AD. Bradwell was filmed for a BBC programme looking at detectorists in East Anglia.

Essex Police’s officer for wildlife, heritage and environmental crime, Andy Long, said it had become clear it was not animals who were causing the holes at the chapel.

Speaking on the programme, he said: “Some of the holes round here, you can see they have had the earth and the grass put back in.

“This is organised crime. This isn’t somebody thinking ‘I’ll go out in an afternoon with the detector I have just bought.’ “They are travelling from different counties, hundreds of miles, in groups, at night and could threaten the landowners if they are caught.”

Essex Police is leading Operation Chronos alongside heritage watchdog Historic England and other bodies aiming to increase the reporting of illegal metal detecting and catch nighthawks.

PC Long added: “They are recovering a large amount of artefacts that, historically, are very important but the value may be quite low and then they are selling those on the black market.

“They have got ordinance survey maps. We have done warrants before where the maps have got encampments circled, Roman forts circled, and all the places they want to go.”