Assault rifle lost by Royal Marines during training on Dartmoor

The Royal Navy is investigating after an assault rifle was lost by Royal Marines during an exercise on Dartmoor, Devon.

The Navy is looking at the circumstances surrounding the loss of the SA80 - the standard issue weapon for Royal Marines – and says the search for the weapon is continuing.

It has been confirmed the rifle was not loaded when it was lost, because of the nature of the training.

A Royal Navy spokesperson said: "We are investigating an incident related to the loss of an unloaded rifle by the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines.

"The incident is under investigation, therefore it would be inappropriate to comment further."

The Commando Training Centre, also known as CTCRM, is the principal training centre for the Royal Marines.

Based at Lympstone in Devon, the centre selects and trains all Royal Marines officers, recruits and reserves. The CTCRM also provides all non-commissioned officer (NCO) command training as well as training 70% of all Royal Marines specialists.