MoD rides gravy train

£5M A MONTH ON TRAVEL

DEFENCE chiefs have blown more than £4million on air fares and £1m on train tickets in just a month.

The huge expenditure racked up on Government credit cards comes despite pressure to cut costs.

A breakdown reveals officers from all three services splurged £4,364,519 on scheduled air fares in August.

They spent another £121,485 on hotels, £742,218 on low cost carriers and £533,566 on overseas car hire.

The total bill for August was almost £7m with the annual cost of travel, hotels and stationery exceeding £84m for one year.

Two and three star officers across the Air Force, Navy and Army are allowed to claim “other duty expenses” amounting to hundreds of pounds each month which soldiers cannot claim. In one case, Rear Admiral Timothy Hodgson submitted a claim for just £1.60 for an underground ticket in London and another for a £1.50 bus fare.

At Army headquarters in Andover, staff have been ordered to go for the cheapest option when travelling which often means using a train rather than a car.

But many journeys are made at short notice with little option for cheaper fares.

A senior source at Army HQ said: “The amount of money being spent is vast and someone needs to talk to these airlines and rail companies and seek major discounts or threaten to swap operator.

“This is public money and £4m on air fares in one month is obscene.

“We are on a daily crusade to save money across the armed forces while others are spending it like water.”