A DECISION on whether plans to dig a road tunnel near Stonehenge can go ahead has been further delayed - all because of a discovery led by University of Bradford archaeologists.

The deadline for the verdict has been extended by four months to late autumn to allow “further consultation” following the recent archaeological find within the World Heritage Site in Wiltshire, transport minister Andrew Stephenson announced.

Highways England, the Government-owned company responsible for England’s motorways and major A roads, indicated that this could delay the project.

Last month it emerged that the team of archaeologists had discovered a ring of at least 20 large shafts a short distance from the stones and they may have served as a boundary to a sacred area.

The A303, which is a popular route for motorists travelling to and from the South West, is often severely congested on the single carriageway stretch near Stonehenge.

Highways England says its proposal for a two-mile tunnel will remove the sight and sound of traffic passing the site and cut journey times.

But some environmentalists and archaeologists have voiced their opposition to the plan due to its potential impact on the area.

The latest archaeological finds are “well outside the scheme boundary” and no closer than 500 metres from the planned road upgrade, according to Highways England.

The project is classified as nationally significant, which means a Development Consent Order is needed for it to go ahead.

The Planning Inspectorate issued its recommendations on the issue to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps on January 2.

The Cabinet minister was due to make his decision within three months of that date, but the deadline was initially extended until Friday and has now been pushed back to November 13.

Mr Stephenson said the setting of a new date “is without prejudice to the decision”.

Preliminary work on the project was due to begin in 2021, with an expected opening date of 2026.

Highways England’s project director Derek Parody said: “We will be working with the Department for Transport in the coming months to assess the timescales for the project.

“We are confident that the proposed scheme presents the best solution for tackling the longstanding bottleneck on this section of the A303, returning the Stonehenge landscape to something like its original setting and helping to boost the South West economy.”

Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced in March that funding is in place for the project, which is part of a £1.7 billion upgrade of the A303.

Public-private funding was due to be used to finance the work, but in October 2018 then-chancellor Philip Hammond cancelled future deals using that model.

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: “One reason for the tunnel is to better preserve our irreplaceable heritage, so it is right that any additional archaeological find should be fully investigated.

“It is worth remembering that since 1991 there have been more than 50 different proposals for removing traffic from around the site so whilst a delay is not ideal, it certainly isn’t the first hold up.

“The question is whether it will be the last?”