Archaeologists are to investigate a Bournemouth building site as developers wait to begin work on a £150m state-of-the art shopping centre.

Land at the rear of Bournemouth's Hampshire Centre will be given-over to trowel-wielding specialists before redevelopment starts in the New Year.

Despite the fact Bournemouth was not founded until the mid 1800s, the site is known to have a rich history dating back to prehistoric times.

A Bronze Age cemetery has previously been unearthed at Redbreast Hill, Moordown, further burial grounds at Pokesdown and Iford and a long barrow on land near Castle Lane.

Historians believe Britons, Romans, Saxons and Normans are also likely to have walked and fought upon local soil.

However, except at Hengistbury Head, few traces of their presence have been unearthed by archaeologists.

Now experts are to conduct an exploratory dig at the Hampshire Centre site, before any prospective finds are buried beneath concrete.

The scrubland is presently being cleared and archaeologists are expected to start work on Monday.

The operation is being managed by Gloucestershire-based CPM Environmental Planning and Design, and undertaken by AC Archaeology from Chicklade, near Salisbury.

Around 15 exploratory trenches are expected to be dug to see if there are any deposits worth investigating further.

CPM spokesman, Royston Clark, explained: "Once the scrubland is cleared, a JCB fitted with a special bucket is used to dig the trenches.

"During this evaluation process we then characterise whether there are any archaeological deposits and ascertain whether a proper excavation is warranted.

"It's quite a routine operation prior to development of such a site and AC Archaeology should have completed the work within about a week."

Developers Hampshire Centre Limited Partnership, are expected to begin demolishing the 30-year-old Hampshire Centre in January, with completion being predicted in 2003.