A fresh wave of controversy has erupted over the decision by UK military chiefs to phase out the use of depleted uranium weapons by the Royal Navy.

The American manufacturer of depleted uranium shells used on British warships is halting production because of fears the weapons are a cause of cancer among troops.

But the decision to phase out the weapons use by the Navy has led to calls for their removal from all of Britain's armed forces.

Contamination

Tony Flint of the National Gulf Veterans and Families Association said the British army should also be allowed to stop using the controversial shells.

What we strongly believe is that the Navy should not just run down its stocks of DU shells but stop using them altogether and the same goes for the Army, he warned.

Until they do they will just be contaminating more areas and putting more people at risk, he added.

Phalanx

The ammunition is used aboard the Navy's Type 42 destroyers and three other vessels but the US maker of the shells for the Phalanx missile system has been phasing them out over for about a decade.

The weapons are being replaced with tungsten-tipped ammunition which is not radioactive and far less toxic.

The switch to tungsten weapons was revealed in a US Naval Sea Systems Command history written in 1989 which said such shells improved effectiveness while eliminating safety and environmental concerns.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said the American's decision to stop manufacturing the munitions meant the Navy had no choice but to phase them out.

Cover up

The UK Ministry of Defence has been accused of covering up safety fears over the depleted uranium weapons which are being blamed for cases of cancer among troops who served in Kosovo.

An MoD spokesman said officials had always known there were dangers associated with depleted uranium ammunition, but maintained there was still no evidence of a link between that and an increased risk of cancer.

Confusion over the impact of the weapons on health has been further fuelled by Belgiums Federal Nuclear Control Agency which has ruled out the likelihood of a link.

The clinical symptoms described in connection with the Balkans Syndrome do not match the harmful effects of uranium that are presently known in the scientific world. In addition such symptoms have been reported by people who did not spend any time in the firing area, the agency said.

'Leave the Balkans'

Meanwhile, Russia has demanded a summit on the dangers of the ammunition.

Greece told its troops to leave the Balkans if they feared for their health.

The World Health Organisation has said it is unlikely that exposure to DU weapons could have led to a higher risk of cancer among soldiers in the Balkans but that it will study the issue.

Several NATO countries have already launched inquiries following a string of deaths among servicemen.