Giant icebergs the size of cities once drifted off the coast of Britain, scientists find

During the ice age, an ice sheet covering much of the British and Irish Isles was retreating due to a warming climate - (James Kirkham/BAS)

Giant icebergs the size of Norwich were drifting off the coast of Britain during the last ice age, according to a new study that has uncovered their existence.

The underbelly of massive "tabular" icebergs that dragged across the North Sea seabed between 18,000 and 20,000 years ago left behind a sequence of characteristic, comb-like grooves that were discovered preserved in sediment close to Aberdeen, Scotland, the researchers said.