Inquiry after gun left in store

An army captain may face disciplinary action after she left a loaded gun in a supermarket toilet, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed.

The weapon and 13 rounds of blank ammunition was lost during a military exercise in Hertfordshire on Saturday.

The unnamed soldier left her waistband holster in the disabled toilet in a Sainsbury's supermarket in Hitchin. The pistol has been missing for two days.

The MoD said the soldier's fate would be decided after an inquiry.

Police were alerted when the captain, realising her blunder, rushed back to the store and discovered that the US-made Sig Sauer 9mm automatic pistol was gone.

Appeal for gun

"We can confirm that a soldier on an authorised military exercise lost a weapon in the Hitchin area and local police are looking into the issue," an MoD spokesman said.

"An investigation into the incident is ongoing. A decision will be taken at the end of the investigation as to what the most appropriate course of disciplinary action, if any, will be taken against the individual concerned."

They refused to name the captain involved or identify which regiment she was with when she lost the gun.

Hertfordshire Police are still appealing for information that could help them track down the pistol.

"Officers are currently conducting searches in the nearby area," police said.

"The weapon was loaded with 13 rounds of blank ammunition but if inappropriately used could cause serious injury."