Armored milipedes like a Mini Cooper used to roam in the UK

A HUGE armored vehicle like a Mini once rode all over England.

Scientists say it will be 9 feet long and weigh 8 stone.

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Named Arthropleura, it traversed the coastal forests by hundreds of feet 326 million years ago – long before the age of the dinosaurs – when Britain was tropical and located near the equator.

A 2ft 6in fossil of part of its exoskeleton was accidentally discovered by students after a cliff slide at Howick Beach, Northumberland.

Experts used it to work out the full length. Arthropleura is the largest invertebrate in history.

Only two other examples were found – both in Germany – but this one is older and larger.

Dr Neil Davies, from the University of Cambridge, said: “It’s a very exciting finding. The fossil was so big that the four of us had to carry it.”