Huge army 'contingency' exercise

A decontamination unit was set up

Hundreds of soldiers have been taking part in a major military exercise.

Troops were out from just after first light on Saturday to take part in Operation Stag Hound.

The contingency exercise, staged at the former BAE munitions site in Bishopton, Renfrewshire, involved the troops being called in to respond to major flooding.

They were also forced to deal with the aftermath of a hijacked plane being brought down. Soldiers then had to search the debris for bodies.

And a decontamination unit was set up, with officer cadets posing as members of the public.

Civil contingency reaction forces were created following the events of 9/11 in the United States A 51st Brigade spokesman

Soldiers from the 51st Scottish brigade, the 6th and 7th battalions of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, the 71 Engineers Regiment and the Scottish Transport Regiment were all involved in the exercise.

And other specialist army units, such as the General Medical Regiment, took part along with the officer cadets and civilian firefighters and ambulance staff.

A 51st Brigade spokesman said the operation was going well.

He said: "Civil contingency reaction forces were created following the events of 9/11 in the United States.

"There are civilian contingency reaction forces throughout the UK, but the 51st Scottish Brigade has responsibility for Scotland."