A forgotten piece of Dudley history has been uncovered during work to extend the Metro across Wednesbury and Brierley Hill.

An 8.5m deep fountain was uncovered during excavation works in Flood Street car park before the main construction works start.

Work on the Wednesbury to Brierley Hill Metro extension has ramped up across both the Sandwell and Dudley boroughs in recent months, and when complete, it will boost public transport in the Black Country, providing links to the existing heavy and light rail networks.

The extension is also targeted to help to regenerate the Sandwell, Dudley and Brierley Hill areas, making it more attractive to investors and providing easy access to its attractions via public transport, including the Black Country Living Museum, Castle and Zoological Gardens and Canal and Tunnel Trust.

Councillor Ian Kettle, cabinet member for regeneration and enterprise at Dudley Council, said: “Dudley has a long and fascinating history, and it is always exciting to discover items of historical interest.

“The unearthing of the well provides a very interesting look at Dudley in days-gone-by at a time when so much work is taking place to transform the borough through new developments and technological advances, including the Metro.”

Mosin Khurshid, Head of Utilities at the Midland Metro Alliance, which is constructing the route on behalf of Transport for West Midlands, added: “We paused our works for a short period while we investigated the find and the utilities have now been re-routed around it. The site will be backfilled to allow a new highway to be constructed in the area.”

There are regular updates on the Metro works at www.metroalliance.co.uk. For information about the regeneration of Dudley, visit: https://www.regeneratingdudley.org.uk/