Military police have launched an urgent investigation after sensitive documents originating from Britain's largest Army base were discovered dumped in public bins. The cache, found approximately two-and-a-half miles from Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire, contained information such as soldiers' names and ranks, guard shift patterns, and details on weapons storage.
The discovery marks the second such incident involving documents from the same base within a year, following a similar event in Newcastle. The unredacted papers also reportedly included information on security breaches and response protocols, detailing the base's defensive posture. The documents span records from 2018, 2021, and 2023.
A member of the public found the files spilling out of a recycling bin at the Catterick Bridge household waste recycling centre. The individual, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Sun that they handed the documents over upon noticing "MoD" on the front, expressing concern they could fall into the wrong hands.
The majority of the retrieved documents appear to be "daily occurrence logs" from the guard room at Marne Barracks, which houses the 5th Regiment, Royal Artillery, and the 32 Engineer Regiment. These logs reportedly detail significant incidents, including a soldier's car being broken into and sensitive ACTO kit being stolen, as well as a report of a gate being intentionally cut.
The files also contained records of arrests made on base, including one involving allegations of racially or religiously motivated remarks and another for a soldier arrested for drink driving. Information regarding weapons issued to soldiers, an inventory of ammunition, body armour, radios, and flashlights was also present. A dossier containing details of games consoles and video games was among the items found.
An Army spokesperson stated that the protection of information is taken very seriously and that the incident is under close investigation, adding that no sensitive or operational information was contained within the documents found. Shadow Armed Minister Mark Francois described the situation as "extraordinary" and called for an urgent investigation to determine how it occurred and how to prevent future occurrences.
This incident follows a similar discovery in March of the previous year, when papers marked 'official - sensitive' were found in a bin bag in Scotswood, Newcastle. Those documents reportedly included details about soldiers' ranks, shift patterns, email addresses, weapon issue records, and access information for military facilities. Downing Street at the time indicated that appropriate action would be taken.