formed

The excavation has so far revealed sections of stone wall that formed the base of the basilica, which would have been two-and-a-half storeys high.

According to local folklore, the "hole" was formed when a giant called Wade picked up and threw earth at someone with whom he was arguing, creating the massive hollow in the landscape.

It is also where his career began, soon after the band formed in Crawley in the 1970s.

"They formed the basis for many of these habitats, in terms of food for the birds or for smaller mammals, or even the lizards that we find up there," he added.

"They formed part of a network of older local men, who actively targeted young, vulnerable, local women for the purpose of sexual exploitation," she said.