A 4,000-year-old Bronze Age coffin containing the remains of a "high-status" man buried with an axe is being conserved by York Archaeological Trust (YAT).

Discovered on a golf course in Tetney, in Lincolnshire, the coffin is thought to date from around 2,000BC. It is around three metres long and one metre wide.

Researchers say it was made from a hollowed out tree trunk, with plants to cushion the body.

A gravel mound would have been raised over the grave, which suggests that the man was of high status in Bronze Age society.

Historic England gave YAT a £70,000 grant to preserve the coffin, and to ensure it didn’t crumble as it was exposed to the sun and air during the excavation.

Ian Panter, head of conservation at YAT, said: “Our expertise in waterlogged finds will be put to good use.

"We hope to preserve the axe within 12 months but the coffin will take at least two years to fully treat.”