7,000 years of history on Formby Beach

A superb sediment bed full of prehistoric footprints on Formby beach is currently being studied by a team from Manchester University. The excavations, which are midway between Lifeboat Road and Victoria Road, are being analysed by experts from the Sefton Coast Landscape Partnership.

Led by archaeologist Alison Burns, who wrote our guides to Fort Crosby and the Prehistoric Footprints at Formby, the team have already logged 58 human footprints and over 2,000 Red Deer prints, frozen for thousands of years in the dried mud. The bed, which is over 90m long, stretches like a who's who of the Mesolithic period along the beach - incredible.

The trails of Aurochs, Crane and Wild Boar have also been found, with the team planning on measuring and logging everything on the site over the next week.

A window into prehistory - walking alongside it and seeing the imprints of human toes, or the vast "plinth" tracks of mighty Aurochs is a remarkable experience.

All too soon though the tide, wind and sand will claim them - but not before Alison and the team have recorded what's there for posterity.