The Minister with responsibility for Heritage, Professor John Cortes, yesterday visited the Gibraltar National Museum laboratories, and was shown around by Dr Stewart Finlayson.

The purpose of the visit was to meet the team excavating at Vanguard Cave in the Gorham’s Cave Complex World Heritage Site, and to see, first hand, the results as they were being studied. The team currently working under the supervision of the museum is composed of students and staff of Liverpool John Moores University. The work this year started in June with a team from Leiden University and the work will end, after two months, in mid-August.

Commenting on his visit, Prof Cortes said: “I am very pleased that field work is once again proceeding at this unique site, and greatly enjoyed personally seeing the work being undertaken in the Labs. Gibraltar is a world leader in research into Neanderthal ecology, and I am certain that there will be more exciting discoveries to come from the work in our World Heritage Site”.