The Act – Section by Section Part 2 – Modifications of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 New section 9M – Temporary stop notices: offences
42.In new section 9M, subsections (1) to (4) set out the circumstances in which a person is guilty of an offence for contravening a temporary stop notice and allow for conviction to be made for any number of offences with reference to different days or periods.
43.Subsection (5) sets out the statutory defence under this section, which is that the notice was not served on the accused and that he did not know, and could not reasonably have known, of its existence.
44.Subsections (6) and (7) set out the penalties for offences under these new sections, including a requirement for the court to have regard to any financial benefit which might accrue to the convicted person as a result of the execution of the works which constituted the offence.