Military police launch urgent probe after sensitive documents from Britain's largest Army base are found dumped in council bins

Published: 16:53, 5 July 2026 | Updated: 16:57, 5 July 2026 Military police have launched an urgent probe after sensitive documents from Britain's largest Army base were found dumped in council bins. Defence chiefs are scrambling to find out how the cache - which includes soldiers' names and ranks, guard shift patterns and weapons storage information - ended up in a pile of rubbish two-and-a-half miles away from Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire. The alarming discovery was made just a year after an almost identical incident saw files from the same base found in a bin in Newcastle.  This time, the unredacted papers also contained details about security breaches and alarm response protocols outlining the base's defensive posture.  Relating to 2018, 2021 and 2023, the cache would have provided valuable information if it ended up in the hands of a potential terrorist. A member of the public discovered the files spilling out of a recycling bin at Catterick Bridge household waste recycling centre as he lifted the lid to deposit his rubbish. Their finder, who wants to remain anonymous, told The Sun: 'I thought it best to hand them over to stop them falling into the wrong hands. 'They were literally sat there on top of other rubbish in the bin. Military police have launched an urgent probe after sensitive documents from Catterick Garrison, Britain's largest Army base, were found dumped in council bins (Stock Photo) Defence chiefs are scrambling to find out how the cache - which includes soldiers' names and ranks - ended up in a pile of rubbish two-and-a-half miles away (Stock Photo) 'They were staring straight at me, and I spotted MoD on the front.' The cache mostly contained 'daily occurrence logs' from the guard room at the garrison's Marne Barracks - which is the base for the 5th Regiment, Royal Artillery and 32 Engineer Regiment. But this contained some significant details about incidents at the barracks, including one occasion when a soldier reported his car being broken into and his ACTO kit - which includes sensitive military items including weapons, night-vision goggles, body armour and encryption radios - being taken from the vehicle. Another logged a hole which had been 'intentionally' cut into the base's gate, and information about the response to the breach.  One incident saw a sergeant arrested by Durham Police on allegations of making racially or religiously motivated remarks before being released pending investigation.  Another private was arrested for drink driving.  Details of weapons issued to soldiers at the barracks were also included in the files as well as an inventory of ammunition, body armour, radios and flashlights. There was even a dossier containing information about games consoles and video games, such as Call of Duty, Plants vs. Zombies and Jurassic World. The cache has been handed back to the MoD but Royal Military Police are probing how the documents ended up in a public bin. Shadow Armed Minister, Mark Francois, said: 'Catterick Garrison is the largest in the British Army. Given that the safety of our personnel and their families is paramount, it's extraordinary that this information, containing details of movements in and out and incidents on the base itself should have somehow ended up in a public bin.  Shadow Armed Minister, Mark Francois, pictured, described the incident as 'extraordinary' 'This needs an urgent investigation to establish exactly why this happened and how it can be prevented in future.' An Army Spokesperson said: 'We take the protection of our information very seriously, and this incident is being closely investigated. 'No sensitive or operational information is contained within the documents.' It comes after similar documents were found scattered on a street in Newcastle last year. Papers marked 'official - sensitive' were discovered spilling out of a black bin bag in Scotswood on March 16. They included details about soldiers' ranks, shift patterns, email addresses, weapon issue records and access information for military facilities. Downing Street said 'appropriate action' would be taken following the discovery of the classified military documents. The papers appear to relate to units based at Catterick Garrison barracks and among them was a sheet headed 'armoury keys and hold IDS codes' - believed to reference an armoury and intruder detection system. Mike Gibbard, from Gateshead, made the discovery as he was parking ahead of Newcastle United's Carabao Cup final clash with Liverpool. 'At first, I thought it was regular office material and someone had just dumped it on the industrial estate,' he told the Mail. 'But when I walked past and started to notice more paperwork, alarm bells started ringing. It wasn't something that should be there. 'The first piece, which had been torn, had an Army soldier's name which alerted me to it. You could tell it was their ID number.' The 41-year-old said he found more documents on the other side of the road and was alarmed by the contents. 'The more you looked it was an Aladdin's cave of military documents dumped on the path,' he added. 'I was very shocked, it's not what you expect to see when you're going to a football match.' Mr Gibbard said the papers included comprehensive detail about the layout of the base and the patrol area which could have been 'so dangerous in the wrong hands'. He said: 'Someone had torn it up by hand and didn't even do it properly. A4 bits were still stapled together and you could read all the information.' He phoned 101 to report the discovery but after waiting 15 minutes decided to take a handful of documents to police officers nearby to alert them. No comments have so far been submitted. 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