A legal campaign has been launched over fears an RAF base could be set to host nuclear weapons. 

The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) is legally challenging development works at RAF Lakenheath which it believes are being prepared to station nuclear weapons. 

The group believes that a planned 144-bed dormitory could lead to the return of nuclear weapons at the Suffolk airbase and is calling on West Suffolk Council to intervene. 

Work on the expansion is expected to start next year and will create more room for US personnel. 

Earlier this year a team from CND gathered outside RAF Lakenheath, which is between the village and Mildenhall, with the aim of searching the base for nuclear weapons.

They believe the United States Air Force is using the base, which is the largest US-operated base in England, to deploy nuclear weapons for the first time in 15 years.

The first US nuclear bombs arrived on British soil in September 1954, and several sources confirmed the withdrawal of the weapons in 2008.

CND is calling on the Ministry of Defence to halt any developments at the base until necessary screening is carried out. 

The MoD has a policy of not confirming the presence of nuclear weapons at a given location.

Kate Hudson of CND said: “USAF has ploughed ahead with construction at the airbase by purportedly relying on planning rights that assume that the development won’t have significant environmental effects. But in doing that they’ve completely ignored the risks that stationing nuclear weapons would entail and therefore might arguably be operating unlawfully in breach of planning control.”

A spokesman for West Suffolk Council said: "We have received a letter from CND and are considering our response.”