'Sensitive military documents' found in Newcastle street

28 March 2025, 14:02 | Updated: 28 March 2025, 19:49

"Appropriate action" will be taken following the discovery of sensitive military documents on a street in Newcastle, Downing Street has said.

An investigation has been launched by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) after the paperwork was found spilling out of a black bin bag in the Scotswood area of the city on 16 March.

The BBC reported that the documents included details of soldiers' ranks, shift patterns, email addresses, weapon issue records and access information for military facilities.

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The broadcaster reported the paperwork related to units based at Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire, around 50 miles south of Newcastle.

In a statement, the MoD said it did not believe there had been a significant security breach.

A spokesperson said: "We take the protection of our information very seriously and this incident is being closely investigated.

"We have rapidly reviewed the information and understand no sensitive operational defence information is contained within the documents."

Among the paperwork was a sheet reportedly headed "armoury keys and hold IDS codes" – believed to refer to an armoury and intruder detection system.

A Number 10 spokesperson said: "The Ministry of Defence is currently looking at documents handed to the police, but the matter is the subject of an ongoing investigation by the Army.

"As you will appreciate, I won't be able to comment on any specifics while that takes place, but you can expect that appropriate action will be taken in response to any potential information breach.

"It's obviously important that that investigation is allowed to take its course."

The discovery was made by Mike Gibbard, a football fan from Gateshead, who stumbled across the documents while parking ahead of Newcastle United's Carabao Cup final match against Liverpool.

He told the BBC: "I peered down and started to see names on bits of papers, and numbers, and I thought 'what's that?'

"They were piled up against a wall, in a black bag, in the road, underneath cars – spread all the way up the road."

He said he found more documents on the other side of the road and was alarmed by the contents.

"Details of the perimeter, the patrol, checking weapons in and out, requests for leave, mobile phone numbers, high-ranking officers," he told the BBC.

"This shouldn't be here, anyone could pick it up."

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The documents were handed to Northumbria Police. A spokesperson for the force said they were subsequently given to the MoD.

Government guidelines recommend that some "official - sensitive" documents could pose a "threat to life" if compromised. The advice states that such paperwork should be destroyed using shredders or "burn bags".