Sensitive British Army documents containing ranks, contact details, weapon storage codes, and even patrol routines have been found dumped on a public street in Newcastle, sparking a major Ministry of Defence (MoD) investigation.
The papers, some marked “official – sensitive”, were discovered spilling from a torn black bin bag on Railway Street in Scotswood on 16 March by football fan Mike Gibbard, who had just parked his car before heading to a fanzone to watch Newcastle United’s Carabao Cup Final clash with Liverpool.
“I peered down and started to see names on bits of papers, and numbers, and I thought, ‘What’s that?’” he told the reports. “They were under cars, in the road, all the way up the street. I found even more on the other side of the road that wasn’t in a bag.”
The discovery included paperwork linked to British Army regiments and barracks at Catterick Garrison, one of the UK’s largest military bases. Among the documents was one headed “armoury keys and hold IDS codes”, understood to relate to secure access for a weapons storage facility and intruder detection system.
Other documents revealed shift patterns, leave requests, mobile phone numbers, email addresses, and even ID numbers of serving personnel, raising serious concerns about operational security and personal safety.
Security consultant Gary Hibberd, who has 35 years’ experience in information risk, described the breach as “significant” and said those named could now be at risk.
“They could be easily identified through social media, potentially coerced or harassed,” he warned. “This isn’t just poor admin, this is a real-world threat.”
Government guidance defines “official – sensitive” material as information that, if compromised, could cause “moderate, short-term damage” to UK or allied military operations. In exceptional cases, the compromise of such documents could even pose a threat to life.
While some papers were relatively innocuous, including general medical advice and catering order sheets, others contained information that should have been destroyed securely. Under government protocols, all sensitive materials must be shredded in an approved machine or incinerated in a “burn bag”.
Mr Gibbard said he was stunned by the find. “Why is it here? This shouldn’t be here, anyone could pick it up,” he said. “There were details of the perimeter, the patrol, checking weapons in and out, requests for leave, high-ranking officers… it was crazy.”
He reported the incident to Northumbria Police, who confirmed they had received a report of “potentially confidential documents” being found on Railway Street. A spokesperson said the materials have since been handed over to the Ministry of Defence.
The MoD said it is taking the matter “seriously” and has launched an internal investigation. “We are looking into this urgently,” a spokesperson said. “The matter is the subject of an ongoing internal investigation.”
Downing Street declined to comment on the specifics but confirmed “appropriate action will be taken” once the Army’s investigation concludes.
