A MEMBER of Alcester & District Local History Society has urged Somerfield to re-think its recent maintenance work after the last visible sign of the Roman occupation of Alcseter was covered over.

After the recent floods, the Somerfield store in Bulls Head Yard resurfaced half of the customer car park in black tar but society member Alan Godfrey is disappointed with the move.

"Most shoppers were probably unaware of the significance of the strips of red," he said.

"In the mid-1980s, this area was excavated by a team of archaeologists from Warwick and the site of a section of Alcester's Roman town wall, together with a unique Roman granary, were discovered.

"To mark these finds the supermarket, which was then Gateway, laid down the outline of the wall and the granary in strips of red across the car park."

Mr Godfrey acts as a guide to groups of visitors interested in the history of the town and feels that a symbol of its Roman past has been lost.

"I think it's probably a case of ignorance on the part of Somerfield. Over time and with the changes in management, they've probably not realised why the car park was marked out the way it was.

"It is not too late for the store to remove the offending black tarring and re-instate a new red surface and again provide inhabitants and visitors with a glimpse of our Roman heritage," he added.

Carol Matthews, trading manager at Somerfield, said she was sure the markings had not been covered over deliberately and that the store would be looking into the matter.