ARCHAEOLOGISTS hailed today an “eye-popping” discovery of the largest Roman villa ever found in Wales in Margam Country Park.

Swansea University’s Dr Alex Langlands said his eyes nearly popped out of his skull after the discovery of the Roman site was revealed by scanning devices in Margam Country Park, near Port Talbot.

Dr Langlands is the co-director of the university’s Centre for Heritage Research and Training and told BBC Wales the find was a “really impressive and prestigious” building.

“We’ve got what looks to be a corridor villa with two wings and a veranda running along the front,” he explained.

“It’s around 43m (141ft) long and looks to have six main rooms [to the front] with two corridors leading to eight rooms at the rear.”

The location is in a historic deer park, which means the land has not been ploughed or built on, leaving the villa’s remains undisturbed.