A gold pendant dating from the years after Roman rule in England collapsed, has been found on farmland.

The pendant, thought to originate after 410AD, was discovered on land near Melton by metal detector enthusiast Chris Bursnall.

There is a face on one side of the pendant with a goblet or horn at its mouth.

The object will be sent to the British Museum, where experts aim to establish its value.

The exact location of the find is not being disclosed.

Father-of-three Chris, 37, of Long Clawson, said: "You always wait for those heart-stopping moments when you're detecting and then you discover something like this.

"I thought at first it was another ring pull or bottle top, but when I cleaned the mud off I could see it was gold.

"It was quite exciting and I couldn't wait to get back to show my wife, Debbie."

Chris, a member of Melton Detecting Club, records all his finds with the Government-backed Portable Antiquities Scheme, which is administered by Leicestershire County Council.

He said: "When I got it out I realised I had something special.

"When I cleaned the soil off it was pretty much how it was when it was dropped to the ground 1,500 years ago.

"The field was one of the first to be ploughed and maybe the plough went a bit deeper this year and brought it to the surface. I've just bought myself a new metal detector, but I'm not sure if that had anything to do with it."

Anyone who finds an object that is more than 300 years old and made of gold or silver, must notify the antiquities scheme authorities.

Chris said: "I think it's a Saxon copy of a Roman coin. The details are not sharp but you can make it all out.

"There's no indication yet of what it's worth. That's why it's going to the British Museum for experts to look at."

An inquest will be held for the coroner to decide whether the pendant is treasure.

Whatever it is sold for will be divided between Chris and the landowner.

Leicestershire County Council archaeologist Richard Knox said:" It's difficult to pre-empt its worth, but it could be anything up to £2,000.

"That's for an independent panel to decide.

"If we were looking to buy it, we would need to raise funds to do so.

"We're just grateful that people are abiding by the treasure laws."