A total of nine boreholes were drilled at three locations along the proposed route of the inner relief road. The locations included the site of a new bridge over the River Colne, a new roundabout and a pedestrian underpass. Eight inch boreholes were put down with using a soft ground boring engineering rig. The soil profile which was encountered can be summarised as topsoil or made ground overlying soft clays and gravels which in turn overlay stiff grey clays and silts underlain by stiff brown clays. Borehole 9 revealed Woolwich and Reading Beds. Borehole 1 was situated outside the north west corner of the Roman town wall and revealed made ground to a depth of 11.9 metres above O.D. The lowest levels of made ground included shells, decomposed wood and peat. <1>