A jury has retired to consider verdicts in the trial of metal detectorists accused of stealing a £3 million Anglo-Saxon coin hoard and priceless jewellery in Herefordshire.

George Powell, 38, and another detectorist, Layton Davies, 51, are both accused of theft after failing to declare an "invaluable" collection of buried treasure dating back 1,100 years to the reign of Alfred the Great.

Prosecutors have alleged the items were dug up on farmland near Leominster in June 2015.

The men have been on trial at Worcester Crown Court along with 60-year-old Paul Wells and Simon Wicks, 57, who are both charged with conspiring to conceal the find.

Among the priceless hoard was a ninth century gold ring, a dragon's head bracelet and silver ingot, a crystal rock pendant dating to the fifth century and up to 300 coins, some dating to the reign of King Alfred.

Only 31 of the coins have been recovered, although photographs allegedly showing the hoard in a freshly dug hole have been shown to the jury by prosecutors.

Five of the coins are examples of the exceptionally rare Two Emperors penny, valued at up to £50,000 apiece, and so-called as they depict King Alfred and a lesser known monarch, Ceolwulf II, who reigned in the old kingdom of Mercia.

All four men are accused of ignoring the law stating such finds must be properly declared, in a bid to sell the items in small batches.

Powell, of Kirby Lane, Newport; Davies, of Cardiff Road, Pontypridd; Wells, of Newport Road, Cardiff; and Wicks, of Hawks Road, Hailsham, East Sussex, have denied any wrongdoing.