A shopping centre car park in Oxford has been temporarily transformed into an archaeological dig site.

Work is now under way in parts of the Westgate Centre car park where experts are on the lookout for artefacts dating back to the medieval period and before.

Last year a dig took place at the same site and evidence of a monastery was found. This year's dig began earlier this week and could last as long as four months. The work is taking place as part of a preliminary project to the Westgate development.

The outside car park will be affected as well as sections of the ground floor multi-storey parking area. Sections will be worked on for two to three weeks at a time. Work is also due to take place at Abbey Place.

Andrew Bradfield-Barnes, of Oxford City Council's parking department, said: "It was thought this was an opportune time for exploratory work to be carried out.

"There are a number of sites within the car park which the archaeologists are interested in, but there will only be small sections of the car park affected at any one time.

Mr Bradfield-Barnes reassured shoppers that parking would not be disrupted during the Christmas period.

He said: "We are not sure exactly how long the archaeologists will be there, but we have said we would like the car park to be fully re-opened in November and December for Christmas shoppers."

Dan Poore, project manager at Oxford Archaeology, the Osney Mead-based company leading the dig, said: "We are hoping to find something of interest, but it is obviously very early days."