ARCHAEOLOGICAL work to determine the full extent of a massive Roman mosaic uncovered in a Cotswold field will resume shortly.

Metal detector enthusiasts Paul Ballinger and John Carter uncovered a section of the ancient mosaic in January last year in a field near Kemble.

It is believed to date back to the 4th Century and could be up to 40-foot in diameter which would make it the biggest Roman mosaic in north west Europe.

Archaeologists from Gloucestershire County Council say they will be performing further testing on the site, which is an agricultural field, throughout the summer with the permission of the landowner.

GCC county archaeologist Jan Wills told the Standard they would be using advanced surveying techniques to measure the electrical resistance and magnetic fields of the land.

"Soil affected by human occupancy will have higher magnetic values than regular soil," she said.

"There’s some building debris over it so it’s not going to be possible to identify the extent of the mosaic using just these techniques."

English Heritage may designate the site as Scheduled Monument once the full extent of the mosaic and buildings are determined.

Mrs Wills added: "From what we know it’s an important site and we have to tread carefully."