Two geotechnical trenches were examined by Colchester Archaeological Trust in the north-west corner (Trench 1) and south-west corner (Trench 2) of the plot of land behind 16 Coast Road, West Mersea. Trench 1 was excavated by JCB through a modern dark earth (L1) and a post-Roman subsoil (L2) and into natural (L3). At the interface of L1 and L2, a pit (F1) was defined that ran the length of the trench (the dimensions of the trenches are not provided). The pit fill contained large quantities of oyster shell and some fragments of animal bone. There was charcoal flecking throughout the fill of the pit feature. No datable finds were recovered from the pit fill. Trench 2 was located in the south-west corner of the plot and, as with Trench 1, was excavated by JCB through modern dark earth (L1) and subsoil (L2) and into the natural (L3). As in Trench 1 at the interface between the dark earth (L1) and the subsoil (L2), a pit (F2) was identified which ran the entire length of the trench. As in F1, the fill of the pit contained large amounts of animal bone and oyster shell. The pit also had frequent charcoal flecking throughout the fill. In addition to the bone and shell, six fragments of tile/brick were recovered from the pit fill. Fragments of both Roman and post-medieval tile were recovered from the fill of F2. The Roman material is, however, likely to be residual in the pit fill, with the later post-medieval material giving a more reliable date for the deposit.<1> A watching brief was subsequently carried out by Archaeological Solutions in June 2006, during the groundworks for the construction of the new dwelling (ECC2968).<2>