Coins and pottery, as well as a cooking vessel, all believed to date from Roman times, have been unearthed at The Street, Beck Row.

Suffolk County Council archaeologist Jo Caruth said they hoped to make further significant finds.

She said: "It is an interesting find and an indication that the site could be examined further.

"We are now in discussion with Mansells, the property developer working for the MoD, to decide how we will progress."

Artefacts found include pottery dating from the late Iron Age or early Roman period and a coin from the late Roman period. A copper buckle, of medieval origin, has also been unearthed at the site, as well as animal remains.

Ms Caruth said: "What we have found demonstrates the potential of the site and we would very much like the opportunity to look at it more closely."

They were found a short distance from the site where the remains of a high-ranking Anglo-Saxon warrior was discovered, buried with a horse, at RAF Lakenheath in 1997.

Thirty-four pieces of Roman silver, known as the Mildenhall Treasure and the subject of a short story by Roald Dahl, were found nearby in 1943. They are now on display in the British Museum.

There are plans to eventually build eight new homes for use by officers based at RAF Mildenhall on the Beck Row site.

However, these plans may have to be altered if it is decided further significant discoveries could be made at the site.

Ms Caruth said it would be unusual to stop building work at a site because of archaeological finds, but it may be delayed to allow a full excavation to take place.