A fantastically important discovery of a huge Anglo-Saxon hoard found in Staffordshire has been hailed as the best ever.

A total of 1,345 items have been counted so far, including inscribed gold bands, sword pommel caps and hilt plates, but once further mud clots are pulled apart the total figure could rise to 1,500.

Experts say the haul, which has been officially declared treasure, could redefine what we know about the Anglo-Saxon period.

It dates back to between 675 and 725AD and was unearthed in what was once the Kingdom of Mercia.

Leslie Webster, a former keeper at the British Museum, said: "(It is) absolutely the equivalent of finding a new Lindisfarne Gospels or Book of Kells."

The man who made the staggering find says he dug up so much gold he was seeing it in his sleep afterwards. Terry Herbert, from Burntwood, was using a 14-year-old metal detector.

He explained: "As soon as I closed my eyes I saw gold patterns, I didn't think it was ever going to end. I just kept thinking of what I might find the next day."

Archaeologist Dr Kevin Leahy said none of the experts involved in the discovery had seen anything like it before.

He told a press conference at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery: "These are the best craftsmen the Anglo-Saxons have got, working with the best materials, and producing incredible results."

The hoard exceeds the last big find of its kind, at Sutton Hoo in 1939.

It may take more than a year to value the collection but experts already believe it is worth a "seven-figure sum".