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One of the largest Anglo-Saxon burial sites ever discovered in the UK has been found along the HS2 route in Wendover, Buckinghamshire. The BBC reports that the find consists of 138 graves, which contain skeletons, jewellery, weapons, and other artefacts. The finds were described as ‘stunning’ by the historian Dan Snow.

Some of the found objects were thought to be early grooming and cosmetic implements, including combs, tweezers, make up, toothpicks, and ear wax removers. Whatever the setbacks and politics of the ambitious high speed rail line have been so far, the excavation works have already uncovered a rich treasure trove of historically significant finds.

Speaking on his podcast, Dan Snow said: “This stunning set of discoveries on the HS2 route can tell us more about how our predecessors lived, fought and ultimately died. It is one of the best and most revealing post Roman sites in the country and it was thrilling to join the team as they uncovered their wonderful finds.”

One of the skeletons, identified as a male between the ages of 17 and 24, was found with a sharp implement embedded into his spine, possibly causing the death. Osteologists believe that a weapon was thrust into the front of the male, passing through the body before lodging in the back vertebrae.

A female skeleton was found with a range of precious ornamental items and jewellery, including rings, brooches, belt fittings, and an intact pale green glass bowl, and other valuable carved ivory items. The female was probably of high social ranking, and buried with prized possessions as a mark of respect.

The archaeological services for the HS2 project are being delivered by INFRA, which is a joint venture between Rubicon Heritage Services and Network Archaeology. They have already made several significant finds whilst working at sites along the HS2 route, including an early Roman carved wooden figure in a ditch in Twyford, Buckinghamshire.

The latest find is being compared in importance to the discovery of an Anglo Saxon ship at Sutton Hoo in 1939, which is described by the British Museum as the most impressive medieval grave discovered in Europe. The ship was a burial chamber packed with precious artefacts, including rare silverware, luxurious textiles, and gold accessories.

In the five years since the excavations for the first leg of the HS2 route began between London and Birmingham, over 60 archaeological sites have been uncovered.

Speaking of the latest find, Dr Wood, lead archaeologist, said: “The significance of this site for our historical and archaeological understanding of Anglo-Saxon Britain is huge. It is not a site I would ever have anticipated finding – to have found one of these burials would have been astonishing, so to have found so many is quite unbelievable.”

She added: “We have 141 individuals here, that’s quite a large cemetery for the time that we know about, and over 70% of them have been found with objects which is really unusual.”

“Normally you might find one or two individuals in a small cemetery might have a comb with them or something like that and here we have so many individuals with multiple objects from weaponry to jewellery to grooming kits.”

Mike Court, lead archaeologist for HS2 Ltd, said: “We are just at the beginning of our understanding of how the discoveries will improve our historical knowledge of Britain.

“The archaeological finds made at this site in Wendover will not only be of interest to the local community but are of national importance, providing a valuable insight into life in Anglo-Saxon Britain.”

Meanwhile, construction has begun on the first so called ‘green’ tunnel along the HS2 route at Chipping Warden in Northamptonshire, New Civil Engineer reports. The tunnel will be built in a shallow trench above ground, and then back filled and planted with greenery to minimise its impact on the local countryside.

The tunnel is constructed from 5,020 concrete segments which are being manufactured off-site at the Stanton Precast Factory in Derbyshire. The segments are reinforced with steel, and will be assembled by on-site engineers. The innovative design was developed after engineers studied methods used to construct a similar high-speed line in France.

The tunnel will have an ‘m’ shape, to create separate north/south lines. Four similar tunnels will be constructed further along the route at Wendover, Greatworth, and Burton green. They will all feature innovative noise cancelling portals at each end, which will reduce the sound impact of the trains entering and exiting the tunnels.

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A new study has revealed that 86 per cent of tradespeople have been abused at work by customers, and a fifth have experienced abuse every day, and one in 10 have suffered physical attacks.

Construction Global reports that the study was commissioned by IronmongeryDirect, whose Mental Health in the Trades report revealed that customer tensions and abuse are among the main causes of stress, and that female tradespeople experience more regular abuse, but men are sexually harassed more often.

According to the findings, at 34 per cent, swearing and insults are the most common forms of abuse, while 10 per cent of tradespeople have experienced physical attacks from clients, and 7 per cent have been sexually harassed, and 14 per cent of respondents claim to have received aggressive text messages and phone calls outside of work.

This behaviour has led to 16 per cent of respondents saying they felt unsafe, and 13 per cent saying they felt threatened at work, while 12 per cent report feeling stressed, depressed, or suffering from anxiety because of abusive exchanges. 34 per cent of respondents report they experience abuse weekly.

There are some differences in the type of abuse received by male and female tradespeople. Women are more likely to be insulted or sworn at (37 per cent) or receive threatening text messages (18 per cent), but men are more likely to receive physical abuse (10 per cent) or sexual harassment (8 per cent).

Women are overall more regularly abused by customers, with 23 per cent reporting being mistreated every day, compared to 19 per cent of men.

Age also factors in, with younger tradespeople more likely to experience abuse. Gen-Z (18-24-year-olds) and Millennials (25-34-year-olds) experience the most insults, threats, and sexual remarks.

However, customers are most likely to threaten to withhold payment when it is an older tradesperson (over 65) in their home (16 per cent). 

Some trades experience more abuse than others. Over half (56 per cent ) of bricklayers experience abuse daily, while carpenters are more likely to be attacked (21 per cent), and plumbers receive the most sexual harassment (17 per cent).

The UK trades most likely to receive daily customer abuse are: 

1) Bricklayer – 56 per cent 

2) Builder – 24 per cent 

3) Plumber – 22 per cent 

4) Plasterer – 20 per cent 

5) Joiner – 20 per cent 

6) Building surveyor – 19 per cent 

7) Electrician – 19 per cent 

8) Carpenter – 16 per cent 

9) Painter decorator – 14 per cent 

10) Landscaper – 7 per cent 

However, there is some practical advice for tradespeople when dealing with confrontational customers and clients.

First, ask for specifics. Ensure you are hearing and understanding everything the customer is complaining about. Never assume anything and double-check that you know what they are referring to. Stay calm and genuine, and make a note of their sense of the problem.

Avoid raising your voice or further antagonising the customer, as this will only serve to escalate the situation. Often staying calm is enough to defuse a difficult situation, as the customer may back down after having their say.

The findings also agree with the latest research from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), which has outlined the scale of the mental health challenges facing the construction sector.

Site-based workers are at three times the risk of suicide than the national average. A report from May 2020 from the Chartered Institute of Building revealed that 26 per cent of construction workers had experienced suicidal thoughts, and 97 per cent have experienced stress over the previous 12 months.

The research from CITB has highlighted several initiatives to help with mental health in construction but has found that their impact has been restricted by a lack of coherent aim and messages.

The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has backed the research and has prioritised mental health in its recovery plan, and is now drawing on the industry to egress a plan to address it. It will seem to uncover the underlying causes of poor mental health and find better evidence of what impact the initiatives are having.

The culture within the industry has also perpetuated poor mental wellbeing, with factors such as working away from home, heavy workloads, and long hours. The problem can be aggravated by poor management practices and understanding, but some organisations are doing an exemplary job of looking after their workers.

There must also be an improvement in the love and quality of evidence. There is a range of different mental health and wellbeing support available from industry professional bodies, charities and employers. However, evidence of the effectiveness of the support available is limited.  

More consistent and accessible support is needed for workers in the smaller firms that supply larger ones. Many employers provide mental health and wellbeing support programmes to workers in their supply chains.

However, many workers are unaware that they can access mental health and wellbeing resources from their principal contractor.

CITB has invested in programmes aimed at helping the industry develop skills, behaviours and ways of working that will make it a safer, healthier place to work. Since June 2018 it has funded over 29,000 mental health courses. 

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