FEARS have been raised for the prehistoric landscape at Stonehenge after site investigators were pictured parking their vehicles on grassland rather than on protective matting placed on the World Heritage Site.

The work which has been ongoing at the site for several weeks has sparked anger among campaigners opposed to moving a section of the A303 past the stones into a 1.8 mile dual carriageway tunnel.

Local historian Tom Holland tweeted a picture of vehicles and a bore drill on the site yesterday afternoon saying "This is what's happening right now, on a World Heritage Site, metres from Bronze Age barrows, amid a prehistoric landscape".

Andy Rhind-Tutt, chairman of Amesbury Museum and Heritage Trust, said: "I saw Tom Holland's tweet and my jaw dropped.

"The tracks that you see in the picture are to protect the landscape from the vehicles because all this landscape is untouched - it's right by some of the world's greatest barrows for example, the Bush Barrow which gave us the gold lozenge, currently in Devizes Museum.

"For every single vehicle to be parked off that protective matting and on the grass just sounds alarm bells - if this is what is happening now, we'll have nothing left of it after the A303 improvements."

Voicing his concerns on Twitter yesterday, Mr Rhind-Tutt received a tweet from Highways England saying the vehicles on site were "not associated with it". 

But today the government agency admitted the company pictured were subcontractors working on investigations to do with the proposed tunnel. 

A spokesman said: “We always take every step to work sympathetically with our historic and natural heritage.

“We have been undertaking geotechnical and archaeological surveys in and around the Stonehenge World Heritage Site, which will add to the evolving knowledge and understanding of this unique landscape.

“It will also help us identify any issues when taking forward options for detailed assessment and design for the A303 tunnel, which will improve people’s journeys and cut congestion.”

The matting trackway was placed on the site which is tenanted land at the request of Historic England and National Trust.

Highways England said vehicles were allowed to park and turn off the trackway in order not to block access, and that the load of the vehicles currently there was no more than a "normal agricultural vehicle".

Structural Soils has been approached for comment.

Salisbury Journal: