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Do not trespass. Ask permission before venturing on to any private land.
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Respect the Country Code. Do not leave gates open when crossing fields, and do not
damage crops or frighten animals.
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Do not leave a mess. It is perfectly simple to extract a coin or other small objects
buried a few inches under the ground without digging a great hole. Use a sharpened trowel
to cut a neat flap (do not remove the plug of earth entirely from the ground), extract the
object; replace the soil and grass carefully and even you will have difficulty in finding
the spot again.
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Help to keep Britian tidy - and help yourself. Bottle tops, silver paper and tin cans
are the last things you should throw away. You could well be digging them up again next
year. Do yourself and the community a favour by taking the rusty iron and junk you find to
the nearest litter bin.
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If you discover any live ammunition or any lethal object such as an unexploded bomb or
mine, do not touch it. Mark the site carefully and report the find to the local police and
landowner.
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Report all unusual historical finds to the landowner.
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Familiarise yourself with the law relating to archaeological sites. Remember it is
illegal for anyone to use a metal detector on a scheduled ancient monument unless
permission has been obtained from the Secretary of State for the Environment. Also
acquaint yourself with the practice of Treasure Trove.
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Remember that when you are out with your metal detector, you are an ambassador for our
hobby. Do nothing that may give it a bad name.
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Never miss an opportunity to show and explain your detector to anyone who asks about it.
Be friendly, you could pick up some useful clues to another site. If you meet another
detector user, introduce yourself. You may learn much about the hobby from each other.
