Secret UK Ministry of Defence documents found at municipal landfill

Secret documents from the UK Ministry of Defence were found at a municipal landfill. The papers relate to Catterick Garrison in Yorkshire — the country's largest military base, home to over 10,000 personnel, including soldiers from the 5th Regiment Royal Artillery and the 32nd Engineer Regiment.

The discarded materials include names and ranks of military personnel, information about weapons at the base, guard duty schedules, as well as reports on security breaches and alarm response protocols. Most documents are dated 2018, 2021, and 2023.

An investigation has been launched after the local council reported the incident.

Problems with handling classified documents are common across NATO countries. Last year, Polish Ministry of Defence papers were found in a trash dump, revealing failures in the Polish Army's volunteer recruitment programme.