Archaeological monitoring (and rescue excavations) was undertaken by Essex County Council Field Archaeology Unit during the construction of an Anglian Water trunk main between Cressing (TL 7955 2161) and Great Horkesley (TL 9702 3118).<1> The pipeline was 21.6km long, and topsoil was stripped along its route to create a 20m-wide easement for the laying of the pipe. The archaeological work comprised observation of topsoil stripping along the route and investigation of sites of archaeological interest exposed. Topsoil was stripped by pairs of 360o tracked excavators in lengths between access points from roads, and these were continuously watched by an archaeologist, who excavated and recorded isolated or sparse archaeological features. In the case of the most significant site, at Brookhouse Road, Great Tey, additional time and funding were agreed with Anglian Water for a larger team to carry out large-scale excavation (ECC3849). A metal detector was used along the entire length of the pipeline route to identify metal finds in all areas stripped of topsoil and their spoil heaps, as well as the sites excavated by hand.