Contractor ISG is carrying out works for what is now the O2 Arena and was aware that Blue Peter’s Millennium Time Capsule was buried somewhere in the vicinity.

A spokesman for the O2 Arena explained to the BBC: “The team at The O2 and our contractors ISG have been searching for the Blue Peter Time Capsule since we started construction work in 2016.

“We found it yesterday but sadly it was accidently damaged during excavations. The capsule and its contents are safely stored in our office and we’ve let the team at Blue Peter know. We’re going to work with them to either repair or replace the capsule and bury it again for the future.”

The capsule, containing zeitgeist artefacts such as a Teletubby, a Tamagotchi and a Spice Girls CD, was not meant to be opened until 2050.

A BBC spokeswoman said: “Although a little earlier than anticipated, we’re looking forward to sharing these memories with our viewers and making new ones as we return the capsule to the earth so that it can be reopened in 2050 as originally planned.”

Also included inside the capsule was a Roald Dahl book, photographs of Princess Diana, coins, stamps and a France 98 football.

ISG is the appointed contractors for the future designer outlet village being built at The O2. It is a 205,000 sq ft development inside the dome. ISG began work on site in 2016 and is scheduled to open in late 2018.