A RICH seam of pre Ice Age mammals has been found at Kents Cavern, Torquay, as archaeologists try to get to the bottom of Neanderthal history.

Six inches of modern concrete had to be removed at the entrance of the caverns, the UK's oldest home.

The team have been sieving the material from beneath the concrete which had been laid in the early 1960s to protect the cavern, which is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, from the impact of visitors.

A spokesman for Kents Cavern said: "They are beginning to find really interesting material.

"They have uncovered cave lion teeth, cave hyena bones, fragments from a cave bear paw, horse teeth and lots of other bone, most of it fragments.

"It is a particularly rich area, and although it has to be dated all of the material seems to be contemporary with Neanderthals.

"It is a really rich seam of material but there are no homanid remains yet."

The dig is the first in more than 80 years and hopes to establish if Neanderthals lived there before modern humans.

The dig is due to last two weeks.