Archaeologists are to unearth the secrets of a medieval village in a six-week dig.

Work started yesterday on a dig near St Andrews Church, Bishopstone, near Seaford, where the remains of an Anglo-Saxon village and cemetery have been buried since the 9th Century.

It is the third summer dig to be conducted in the village by the Sussex Archaeological Society and the University of Kent.

Lecturer Dr Gabor Thomas, leading the project, said Bishopstone was a valuable source of information about life on the South Coast 1,200 years ago.

He said: "We are recovering lots of evidence of a settlement from the 9th Century. I couldn't hope to find more than we are already.

"We are not looking for one-off items of treasure because that's not going to tell us anything, we are looking for an insight into the history of a village, to find out what the community was like."

He said part of the dig would concentrate on the remains of a building near St Andrew's Church, part of which dates back to Saxon times.

He said the inhabitants would have been important people and it was possible a lord could have lived there.

During last year's dig archaeologists found the remains of a wooden tower from the 9th Century and a skeleton with a hole cut through a leg bone, which led experts to believe unusually advanced surgical techniques were being used in the village.

Dr Thomas said it was usually difficult to carry out a dig in a working village but people in Bishopstone were keen to find out what he and his team would find.

He said: "We are getting lots of support, especially from people living around the excavation."

Steve Buhlman, of Station Road, said there was excitement in the village about the dig.

He said: "I quite often walk over there to see how it's going. It is fascinating stuff and I would love to see a map of what the village used to be like 1,200 years ago."

Patrick Thomas, of Manor Stables, said: "They have found some interesting artefacts there and it is quite exciting when the dig is being carried out."