This is an HTML version of an attachment to the Freedom of Information request 'DU soil contamination during test trials'.




 
 
DIO Sec-Sec PBFOI 
 
 
Ms R Thompson  
Secretariat 
 
Defence Infrastructure Organisation 
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx 
Kingston Road 
 
Sutton Coldfield 
 
West Midlands 
 
B75 7RL 
 
 
Tel:  +44 (0)121 311 2451   
 
Fax: +44 (0)121 311 3809   
E-mail: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxx.xx 
Ref. 07-02-2012-150021-003 
 
www.mod.uk/DIO 
 
 
6 March 2012
 
 
 
Dear Ms Thompson 
 
Request for Information: Projectiles - Kirkcudbright 
 
Thank you for your enquiry dated 7 February 2012. This was passed to the Defence Infrastructure 
Organisation (DIO), the Ministry of Defence (MOD) body responsible for managing the defence 
estate and has been dealt with under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004. 
 
Your request appeared to be in relation to Kirkcudbright and Eskmeals, and you asked for the 
known number of projectiles that have broken up over land, data on the number of projectile 
rounds that have malfunctioned and the location is not known and details of the special sampling 
that has been undertaken. 
 
I can confirm that the MOD holds information that falls within the scope of your request. 
 
The following reports have been identified that contain the information you are seeking. 
 
•  Record of Depleted Uranium Rounds Fired at Kirkcudbright Training Area 1982-2004. 
(Please note that the Veterans Policy Unit mentioned in this report no longer act as a focal 
point for depleted uranium munitions work.) 
•  Results of a Search for Information on Special Sampling During Testing of Depleted 
Uranium Munitions at Kirkcudbright. 
•  Depleted Uranium Munitions and Assessment of the Potential Hazards. 
•  Proposal to Modify the Terrestrial Environmental Monitoring Programme for Depleted 
Uranium at Kirkcudbright Training Area. 
 
These reports are available in hardcopy, and consequentially need to be posted to you. Please 
can you therefore provide a postal address. 
 
Kirkcudbright was the firing range where strength of design and accuracy trials were carried out. 
Strength of design testing is known to give rise to the greatest risk of round break-up. This testing 

 
began at Raeberry firing point which is closest (within a few hundred metres) of the coast. The 
intention being to minimise any chance of an impact on land through the momentum of the 
depleted uranium rod being more than sufficient to carry any debris out to sea. Accuracy testing is 
generally carried out only after an adequate strength of design has been demonstrated. This has 
to be carried out over greater distances and is the testing most likely to give rise to a depleted 
uranium rod landing on the range. Proof firing of depleted uranium munitions follows the 
development phase. This involves sampling of a batch of munitions intended for battlefield use for 
“quality control” purposes. Any round break-up or malfunction is extremely unlikely and this is 
consistent with the absence of any malfunctions or monitoring during recent years. Penetration 
testing at Eskmeals involves firing over relatively short distances so any malfunction would be 
expected to result in any debris being contained within the specially designed butt or the 
surrounding exclusion area.     
 
In case it is of interest to you, the following link is to archived MOD web content that contains the 
Environmental Surveys carried out between 2000 and 2004. 
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.mod.uk:80/defenceinternet/aboutdefence/c
orporatepublications/healthandsafetypublications/uranium/
 
If you are not satisfied with this response or you wish to complain about any aspect of the handling 
of your request, then you should contact me in the first instance. If informal resolution is not 
possible and you are still dissatisfied then you may apply for an independent internal review by 
contacting the Head of Corporate Information, 2nd Floor, MOD Main Building, Whitehall, SW1A 
2HB (e-mail xxxxxxxxxx@xxx.xx ). Please note that any request for an internal review must be 
made within 40 working days of the date on which the attempt to reach informal resolution has 
come to an end. 
 
If you remain dissatisfied following an internal review, you may take your complaint to the 
Information Commissioner under the provisions of Section 50 of the Freedom of Information Act. 
Please note that the Information Commissioner will not investigate your case until the MOD 
internal review process has been completed. Further details of the role and powers of the 
Information Commissioner can be found on the Commissioner's website, www.ico.gov.uk
 
Yours sincerely 
 
DIO Sec-Sec PBFOI