Is now the time to announce commercial detecting rallies will NEVER resume?

Detectorists are lobbying hard to be allowed back. But now is the perfect time to more than halve the cultural damage their activity causes by announcing there will  never be a resumption of the worst element of their activity, massive commercial rallies. As PAS says:

“Most archaeologists think metal-detecting rallies can be damaging to archaeology. Often random, searching takes place over a large area of land, and it is almost impossible for archaeologists (when invited) to make a proper record of all objects found.”

In addition, despite “token” charitable claims most rallies are money-making machines, often run appallingly, e.g. holding them on sites where damage is caused, refusing to take professional advice to desist and allowing participants to keep non-Treasure finds worth up to a massive £2,000 without even showing them to the landowner. So the question arises: what benefit are rallies other than to enrich their organisers and why should they ever be allowed to resume?

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Will PAS now advise the Government to never allow a resumption of shameful scenes like this? (No need to say it out loud, just say it).

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More Heritage Journal views on artefact collecting
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