A Roman emperor could help Malton and Norton conquer their doldrums with a bright new image.

The Emperor Vespasian's image on an ancient coin unearthed in Malton has been chosen as the emblem to represent the character and quality of the towns.

The town centre initiative forum, made up of a wide cross section of interests has endorsed the coin's use as a mark of excellence which could appear on items such as letterheads, signs and waymarkers, says town manager Malcolm Scott.

The emblem is based on a mint condition coin from around AD200 showing the Emperor Vespasian, founder of the Flavian dynasty, found in Orchard Fields in Malton.

Malcolm Scott said the coin was from an era when the Romans and Brigantes were at the beginning of a strong dynasty.

Mayor of Norton Coun Margaret Taylor said: "I am a little bit sorry we can't put on something to do with horses. On the Norton side there's lots of facilities. Malton was known as the Newmarket of the north."

Joint town manager, Gerry Fitzhenry, pointed out that Romans came first and were associated with the whole area. They could bridge the gap between the two towns with a shared culture, he said.