East Coast fossil hunters get helping hand from an expert

Dean Lomax, from Doncaster, said he spent much of his childhood at the North Yorkshire resort, but realised there was a lack of modern information about fossils from the area.

As a result, he has compiled a new book detailing the fossils which have been found along the coast in a bid to help others who had been struggling to find out more about specimens.

Mr Lomax said: “While fossil hunting I would find numerous specimens, however there have never been any reference books for this area, bar a few very early, outdated attempts with no pictures.

“Identifying the fossils found was a tedious task, so I began writing a book on fossils from the Whitby area, using real fossils found along the coastline held in both museum and private collections.”

At present, Mr Lomax is in France where he is managing a team of palaeontologists on a dig site which dates back more than 56m years.

Mr Lomax’s book has been published by Manchester-based Siri Scientific Press and is available from bookshops and websites such as amazon.com