United Kingdom

UK: Army Files Found Dumped in Recycling Bin

Was this yet another serious security breach or a rogue incident already under investigation?

Published JUL 6

UK: Army Files Found Dumped in Recycling Bin

Story

Above: Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire, England, in August 2017. Image credit: Owen Humphreys/PA Images/Getty Images

The Facts

The U.K.'s Royal Military Police has launched an investigation after unredacted documents from Catterick Garrison were reportedly found in a recycling bin at Catterick Bridge household waste center, roughly 2.5 miles (4.0 km) from the base in North Yorkshire.
The Sun
Daily Mail
The Sun reported on Sunday that the documents included soldiers' names and ranks, guard shift patterns, weapons storage details, alarm response protocols and security breach reports. A member of the public discovered the files and handed them to journalists.
Sri Lanka Guardian
Express.co.uk
The civilian discovered the documents, dating from 2018, 2021, and 2023, when he opened the bin to dispose of his trash. The documents are from the guardroom at Catterick’s Marne Barracks — the base of the 5th Regiment, Royal Artillery and 32 Engineer Regiment.
The Sun
Express.co.uk
The documents are reported to contain details about incidents at the barracks, including one in which a soldier reported that his car had been broken into and a kit — including sensitive military equipment such as weapons and encrypted radios — had been stolen from the vehicle.
Daily Beirut
Daily Mail
The incident is at least the third of its kind linked to the British military. In March 2025, sensitive Catterick Garrison files were found on a Newcastle street, and in June 2021, classified documents were also discovered at a Kent bus stop.
Visegrad 24 on X
Daily Mail

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Pro-government narrative

Whilst this incident is unfortunate, the British government already follows stringent protocols over how official, secret or top secret information must be handled, and is already conducting a thorough investigation to ensure such a breach of security cannot happen again.

GOV.UK

Government-critical narrative

This incident shows a troubling pattern of security failures that puts troops at real risk. Classified documents don't belong in a recycling bin, and a rapid review is nowhere near an adequate response to this consistent level of negligence.