FIFTY years of tradition is set to be buried as Winchester civic chiefs propose to kill off part of its team of archaeologists.

To save £90,000 a year, the city council is proposing to make redundant its three-strong archaeological field work service by the end of March 2004.

These are the experts who undertake excavations before development, such as at Peninsula Barracks in the 1990s and the Brooks Centre in the 1980s. The council believes the work can be done by commercial firms of archaeologists, so ending local authority's direct role in digs dating back to the late 1940s. It places a question mark over the future of community digs such as the one that pinpointed the last known resting place in Hyde of King Alfred the Great.

Last night Conservative councillors backed the ruling Liberal Democrat group in supporting the move, crushing a Labour and Independent attempt to postpone the proposal at the community, arts and social performance improvement committee. Labour group leader Patrick Davies said: "To throw away the expertise built up over decades seems to me to be unbelievably stupid.''

Ken Qualmann, head of the museums service, said the unit was now competing for contracts with 12-15 archaeological firms. "Historically we provided this because we thought we had better local knowledge and a better service. I have to be honest and say that there are other people who can provide that service. We will lose the capability to provide a service which is run in-house. We will rely on external contractors to provide the fieldwork.''

Councillor Peter Rees said the decision was premature before a best value review of heritage activities. The impending Broadway-Friarsgate development would be a major archaeological scheme.

He said: "We are talking about three people's jobs, they are going to be dismissed before this review has had a time to report.''

Steve Tilbury, director of community services, told the Daily Echo the unit was becoming less successful at gaining work: "The council cannot justify continuing to provide a service which we can get from other sources. It is a painful decision but it is not going to undermine the archaeological service.''

The reason for the cuts is the feared financial crisis which will see the city council in the spring being squeezed by pressure to maintain services and not increase council tax.

But professional archaeologists are unhappy. Dr David Johnston, a former tutor at Southampton University, said he feared that knowledge and continuity carefully built up over decades would be fragmented.