FOUR bronze-age axe-heads have been found on the Isle of Wight.

The historic palstaves, dating from somewhere between 2000 and 2700 BC, were declared treasure at a treasure inquest, held at the Isle of Wight Coroner's Court.

Lewis Ferrero, finds liaison officer with the British Museum, appeared before the coroner to present the discovery on behalf of the Isle of Wight Council.

The 1996 Treasure Act requires people who discover artefacts made of precious materials to declare them — and allow a museum to make an offer for the item before it can be sold.

The palstaves, described as axe-heads found stacked on top of each other, and shaped to fit into a split handle, were found by Ms Benjamin, on land owned by Ms Abukar.

These examples were made from copper alloy and fell under the category of treasure trove.

Ms Benjamin said it was her first treasure find, but she had found a lot of items since while metal detecting.

She joked that everyone in her club described the find as 'beginner's luck', and revealed the items were unearthed alongside a stone in the shape of a man's penis.

Ms Benjamin said it could have been a burial, or even an offering, and contacted Time Team but they weren't interested.

The palstaves were found in Wootton, on February 27, 2018.

Coroner Caroline Sumeray thanked Ms Benjamin for obeying the law and declaring her discovery.