An amateur British archaeologist has discovered almost 300 gold coins dating from the 7th Century at a dig just outside Jerusalem's Old City.

Birmingham woman Nadine Ross, 34, found the solid 24-carat coins under a large rock in a car park.

The coins date back to the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius, before the Persians conquered Jerusalem.

Ms Ross is being feted for finding one of the largest and most impressive coin hoards ever discovered in Jerusalem.

She had been volunteering at the site for the past month and found the coins in the last week of her stay in Israel.