The UK Ministry of Defence announced on Friday it had launched an investigation after a football supporter discovered confidential military documents scattered on a street in Newcastle.
Mike Gibbard, a Newcastle United fan, said he stumbled upon the documents on his way to a match on 16 March.
He explained that some of the army papers, labelled “official – sensitive,” were spilling out of a black rubbish bag and "strewn all over the street," during an interview with the BBC local radio on Friday.
"I looked down and started seeing names on pieces of paper and numbers, and I wondered what it was," Gibbard said.
According to the BBC, many of the documents were torn and included data on soldiers’ ranks, email addresses, work schedules, and information on weapons and access to military facilities.
One document reportedly referred to a detection system for potential intrusions.
Several documents appeared to relate to the Catterick Garrison. However, security consultant Gary Hibberd, told AFP that this information could pose a broader national security risk.
"The impact and scale of this matter are significant; it’s more than a blunder. It will be investigated at the highest level of the army," Hibberd stated.
"We are urgently examining this matter, which is under internal investigation," a Ministry of Defence spokesperson told AFP.
He confirmed that "documents believed to be linked to the department have recently been handed over to the police."
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer holds a press conference in the Downing Street Briefing Room after hosting virtual meeting with international leaders to discuss support for Ukraine, in central London on March 15, 2025. Credit: Belga / AFP
Commenting on the incident, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesperson assured that "appropriate measures will be taken in response to any potential information leak."
Northumbria Police informed AFP that officers had been alerted to the discovery and had handed the papers over to the Ministry of Defence.
The UK Government guidelines stipulate that confidential documents must be incinerated, pulped, or shredded, but there have been previous instances where some have ended up in the public domain.
One of the most publicised cases occurred in 2008 when a British civil servant left a briefcase containing documents marked 'Top Secret' on a train seat in London.
