AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL discovery at a Roman fort could pave the way towards new information of the site.

A hitherto unknown Roman road has been uncovered during car park development work at Housesteads near Haydon Bridge.

Archaeological ruins were discovered during work to prepare for a car park extension at the visitor centre and Roman museum.

Work was halted as soon as the discovery was made to allow Northumberland National Park staff and specialist advisers to inspect the site.

Archaeologists then began the process of cleaning and recording the feature and found stonework and fragments of pottery.

Archaeologists say the evidence suggests that the new discovery is a Roman road to Housesteads fort.

Historic environment officer at Northumberland National Park, Chris Jones, said: “The discovery of new remains is always a great thrill for any archaeologist and we are working hard to assess the importance and scale of the find. With every day that passes, we will know more.”

A comprehensive study is now under way. Early findings indicate the presence of historic road surface and edging cut into the natural substrate.

It runs in a course from approximately north-west to south-east and appears to be overlain by the present B6318 Military Road.

The Military Road originated in the 1750s constructed by General Wade to fight Jacobite rebels.

Mr Jones continued: “We appreciate that there is a great thirst for information on Roman finds amongst the public and will be arranging events very soon to share what we have found.

“However, I would like to request people’s patience to allow us to carry out our initial work. I also need to remind people that this is a construction site and access is strictly controlled for everybody’s safety.”

The feature needs to be properly cleaned by hand and fully recorded before work can continue in the area.

Experienced archaeologists and volunteers are ensuring this is done safely, quickly and efficiently.

Once the scale and significance of the site has been fully assessed, there will be discussion on how best to preserve the feature.

Options will be agreed in consultation with all appropriate bodies including Historic England and other interested parties.