TREASURE was found in West Yorkshire last year, new figures show.

It comes as the number of treasure finds in England and Wales hit a record high as more people took up metal detecting.

Annual coroners' statistics from the Ministry of Justice show one treasure discovery was reported in West Yorkshire in 2023. Meanwhile, there were no finds the year before.

Across Yorkshire and the Humber, a total of 120 finds were recorded last year, an increase from 97 the year before.

Across England and Wales, meanwhile, there were 1,219 reports to coroners of discovered treasure last year, a rise of 12 per cent on 2022 and the highest number on record.

The Ministry of Justice said the number of finds has been steadily increasing since the commencement of the Treasure Act in 1997 when just 54 finds were reported.

The definition of treasure was updated in July last year.

Previously, newly-discovered artefacts were classified as treasure if they are more than 300-years-old and made of precious metal or part of a collection of valuable objects or artefacts.

Under the new criteria, most exceptional finds over 200-years-old will be classed as treasure, so long as they provide an important insight into the country's heritage.