Earliest known evidence of human fire-making discovered in the UK

The material, found at at disused clay pit in Suffolk, was described by experts as the most exciting find of their careers.

The earliest known evidence of fire-making by humans has been discovered in the UK and dates back more than 400,000 years, research suggests.

The find, at a disused clay pit near Barnham, Suffolk, between Thetford and Bury St Edmunds, indicates humans were making fire 350,000 years earlier than previously known.

Previously, the oldest known evidence of fire-making was from 50,000 years ago in northern France.

Fire-cracked flint hand axes and heated sediments were found at the Barnham site alongside two fragments of iron pyrite – a mineral used to strike sparks with flint.

Geological studies indicate that pyrite is rare in the area, suggesting it was brought delib