Ministry of Defence secret files on Britain’s chemical warfare base ‘found dumped in London wheelie bin’
TOP secret files containing information on Britain’s chemical weapons base have been reportedly left dumped in a London wheelie bin.
The Ministry of Defence has launched an investigation into the security breach amid calls for a government inquiry.
The sensitive documents, which the claims to have seen, relate to the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in Porton Down, the military science base in Wiltshire.
Thousands of pages of highly personal information are said to have been found in a paper recycling bin in a north London car park.
The files reportedly date from the early 1980s to the end of 2017.
Among the information found in the papers were details of equipment carried by guards at the site, the password to computer systems, written in plain English as well as the home address of one of the guards.
An intelligence expert described the papers as "a terrorist’s dream”.
The maximum security facility played a leading role investigating the Novichok attack in Salisbury, Wiltshire, by two Russian agents.
CALLS FOR AN INQUIRY
Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned by the nerve agent after having pizza for lunch on March 4, 2018.
Russia has denied that their special services were involved in the attack, which sparked a diplomatic spat and the expulsion of embassy staff.
A former policeman who dealt with Porton Down told the paper: “This 100 per cent could have ended catastrophically. Someone somewhere has not done their job.
“What could have happened is far worse than what did.”
Sir Malcolm Rifkind, who was the Defence Secretary under John Major, said: "You would have an inquiry in a situation like this, especially when there is a risk of this information falling into the hands of foreign powers or terrorists. This would automatically lead to an inquiry.”
An MoD spokesman said: “We take the protection of personal data very seriously and we have a range of procedures in place to do so, including complying with the Data Protection Act.
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“We also expect third parties who legitimately hold our data to apply similar strict procedures.
“We can confirm that an investigation has been launched.”
The laboratory at Porton Down, which covers 7,000 acres, was set up in 1916 and originally researched chemical warfare, such as mustard gas, during World War One.
It now holds deadly substances such as ebola and nerve agents like sarin.
MoD'S £600 ON HOBNOBBING
BIGWIGS at the Ministry of Defence are spending more than £600 a month on biscuits to snack on at meetings.
The selection for leading civil servants and military top brass in Whitehall, includes shortbread and Viennese whirls.
The annual bill is almost £8,000.
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