PLAYING cards produced by the US military in the hunt for former members of the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq have sparked a more peaceful version designed especially for Salisbury Plain.
The new cards, funded by the military and the EU Life programme, will be given to soldiers when they are briefed about forthcoming training on Salisbury Plain in a bid to minimise any damage to the fragile ecosystem, the archeological heritage and to improve safety.
Because of its use by the military the plain's ecology and archeaology has survived more or less intact over the past century but digging trenches, tracked vehicles and overuse could threaten northern Europe's largest area of untouched chalk downland.
With this in mind the Army Training Estates decided to produce 8,000 packs of cards at a cost of £5,000 to give out to the soldiers.
For the full story see this week's Andover Advertiser.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article