MoD Compensation claim

The Ministry of Defence is preparing to award £3m in compensation to 360 veterans of nerve gas experiments at Porton Down.

About 90% of the ex-servicemen, who took part in what they thought were cold remedy tests at the Wiltshire research centre in the 1950s and 1960s, have agreed to accept a payment of £8,300 each and an apology.

The long-running legal claim against the MoD has been pursued by ex-servicemen who were recruited as volunteers. Hundreds of servicemen took part in experiments between 1939 and 1989.

As a result of their exposure to the gases developed by the Nazis in World War II, many believe they have suffered from ill-health including skin diseases, memory loss, flashbacks and psychological problems.

Following a long standing campaign the MoD has offered £3m compensation and an apology in an unprecedented out of court settlement.

Sallie Booth, a Partner at law firm Irwin Mitchell said: "Finally, the MOD has accepted it concealed the true purpose of these tests and exposed its own personnel to harm. Fear and suspicion have had a profound effect upon these men. At last they have received a very overdue apology."