DEPLETED uranium ammunition linked to serious illness among Gulf war and Balkans veterans has been routinely used at training ranges in Britain, The Telegraph has learned.

Last night the Ministry of Defence was urged to investigate the levels of radioactive contamination at a number of live firing areas following concern that the health of military personnel and local civilians could be at risk.

The revelation comes amid growing pressure on the Government to screen troops who served in the Balkans after a number of European soldiers stationed in Kosovo and Bosnia died of leukaemia, as revealed by The Telegraph last week.

Shells fired by the United States' A10 "tankbusting" aircraft are tipped with depleted uranium. Similar weapons are in the armoury of Britain's Challenger tanks. Depleted uranium is only mildly radioactive but on impact it burns off in a spray of fine dust which some scientists believe can cause cancer. Nato and the US has denied any risk.

Last night, the MoD admitted that it had tested DU weapons at two ranges, at Eskmeals, Cumbria, and the Solway Firth in Scotland, over the past 10 years. They have also been fired at a tank testing range at Lulworth, Dorset, a senior Army officer told The Telegraph.

Britain is increasingly isolated as its Nato allies have begun screening soldiers who served in the Balkans and demanding an international investigation into so-called "Balkan syndrome".

The Italian National Observatory for the Protection of Military Personnel said yesterday that it had found a direct connection between the deaths of six soldiers who served in the Balkans and Nato's use of DU ammunition, the first official study to do so. American A10 aircraft fired 31,000 DU rounds during Nato's campaign to eject the Yugoslav army from Kosovo in 1999. Another 10,000 were fired in Bosnia in 1994-5.

A team of United Nations scientists visited 11 out of 112 Nato bombing sites in Kosovo and found radiation at eight of them as well as parts of DU shells lying around in villages where they could be picked up by children. The number of deaths of soldiers has caused outrage across Europe, with ministers claiming that they were not fully informed of the risks by Nato officials before agreeing to take part in the Kosovo campaign. This could threaten future participation.

In addition to the six Italians who have died of leukaemia, another 30 are ill. Belgium has had five deaths, Portugal two, Spain two, and France and Holland have several seriously ill. Romano Prodi, the president of the European Commission, has suggested that the weapons be banned.

The MoD said that it knew of no cases of leukaemia linked to contact with DU ammunition and had no plans to screen soldiers. It said that out of the 50,000 who served in the Balkans, there was a statistical chance of six or seven contracting leukaemia and there was no evidence of more than the average number of illnesses.

A spokesman said test firing "is a lawful activity and international obligations are fulfilled by doing so".