HISTORIC artefacts some of which were dug out of the earth will soon be put back into storage below the ground at the Winsford Salt Mine.

It follows an agreement between DeepStore, the UK’s largest underground storage company and Colchester Museum to house the latter’s archaeological archive.

As part of a 10-year contract with the museum’s owner, Colchester Borough Council, the museum will store items that include bulk material such as pottery and animal bone and records and plans from excavations that have received box grant funding.

Tom Hodgson, Colchester Museum manager said: “DeepStore has given Colchester Borough Council an effective off-site solution for the long-term storage of archaeological material that needs to be retained, but is not consulted on a frequent basis.”

The underground facilities were developed as an alternative use for the space created from mining millions of tons of rock salt in Britain’s largest salt mine – owned and operated by parent company, Compass Minerals. The mine has the capacity to extract 1.5 million tons annually, 150 metres below the surface.

The facility operates in an area the size of 700 football pitches and with the continuous rock salt mining activity, it has the capacity for future expansion into an area of over 500 million cubic feet so.

Deep Store, which has more than one thousand business clients, is committed to providing the total storage solution, which include the National Archive. tems under current management equate to 3.25 million cubic feet.

DeepStore was formed as a company early in 1998 and was a joint venture between Compass Minerals, which is the owner and operator of Winsford Rock Salt Mine, and Onyx Environmental Group plc.

In November 2006, the joint venture was dissolved and Compass Minerals UK Ltd assumed 100 percent ownership and control of DeepStore.