8 August 2011 Last updated at 09:30 ET

Gloucestershire ancient burial site reopens after work

The Long Barrow, known as Hetty Pegler's Tump, could date back as far as 3200BC

An ancient burial site which dates back thousands of years has been reopened to the public after two years of repairs.

Uley Long Barrow in Gloucestershire, known as Hetty Pegler's Tump, was closed while urgent structural work was carried out at the Neolithic site.

Structural damage to the interior dry stone walls of the burial chamber had left it in an unsafe condition.

English Heritage has overseen the work to restore the 120ft (37m) long monument which dates back to 3200BC.

Mark Badger, from English Heritage, said: "We are delighted that this very significant Long Barrow is once again open to visitors.

"The archaeological investigations carried out during the urgent works by the Cotswold Archaeology team have also confirmed the original plan of the burial chambers which were excavated in both 1821 and in 1854."

Samples of original Neolithic mound material will now be taken away for analysis in a bid to establish a more accurate date.

The scheduled monument is managed by Gloucestershire County Council on behalf of English Heritage and is named after Hester Pegler, the 17th century owner of the field in which it sits.

It is one of a series of ancient stone structures known as the Cotswold-Severn barrow group, sited near Dursley and overlooking the Severn Valley.

Very little is known about who was buried there other than that they were from some of the first settled farming communities.