A ring found buried in Kent which could date back to the 1200s has been declared as treasure.

The medieval band was found by Bernie Nutbrown on September 13, 2020, when he was carrying out authorised metal detecting on land south of Ashford.

Details of the discovery were revealed at an inquest earlier this month, held at the Archbishop's Palace in Maidstone.

Katrina Hepburn, area coroner for central and south east Kent, told the hearing that the ring would be recorded as treasure.

The gold and gem finger ring was classed as this, under the Treasure Act 1996, because it is more than 10% precious metal and more than 300 years old.

Details of the ring were given for the inquest by the British Museum.

It is believed to date back between 1200 and 1400 but its value has not so far been specified.

It has a pale blue gemstone, a diameter of 22.2mm and weights 5.46g.

Now, Ashford Museum is hoping to add the historic piece to its collection, in a bid to keep it within the borough.

After the inquest Bob Shrubb, treasurer of the town centre museum, warned there would be hurdles in acquiring it, such as costs.

He said: "Such treasure trove isn't automatically given to a museum.

"If it were acquired by Ashford Museum, we would be liable for meeting the cost of any reward due to the finder and others with an interest in the object.

"We would need to seek grant funding to meet this obligation."

He added that before applying for a grant the trustees and management would have to consider whether Ashford Museum was the best place for it.

Mr Shrubb added: "We would also have to be sure that acquisition of the ring is the most appropriate use of funding that might be available.

"Obviously, if a donor, or those that could claim a reward, considered it important that the ring was kept in the borough we would take that into consideration."