A GROUP of National Trust rangers and volunteers have been working to protect the ancient Iron Age hill fort at Kinver Edge for future generations.

The ancient monument is thought to date back to the late Bronze Age, when it was most likely built for defence.

But over time, heavy rain and high footfall has caused significant soil erosion and damage to the monument’s manmade ramparts.

To recreate the original profile of the fort, the team have been lifting and spreading the contents of 800 soiled-filled sandbags from the top of the steep ramparts.

Lead ranger Ewan Chapman said: “It’s vitally important we do everything we can to protect this special archaeological feature.

"Kinver Edge is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest which means we can’t bring soil in from elsewhere to repair the earthworks because it will disrupt the sensitive ecology of the area.

"Over the last couple of years the ranger team has been scraping soil at Kinver to create bare ground habitat for solitary bees, flies and wasps.

"Luckily, we’ve been able to re-use this soil for the hill fort repairs. This is good news for Kinver’s special plants that rely on this type of local, low nutrient, soil to thrive.”