Lothians servicemen wait for news on army cuts

HUNDREDS of city servicemen and women face an anxious wait over their futures after army bosses announced that 5300 jobs would be axed across the UK.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond revealed details of the losses in a tranche of cuts ordered by the UK Government. He warned he could not rule out compulsory redundancies, something Labour described as “dreadful”.

Soldiers at the Lothians’ three barracks at Glencorse, Redford and Dreghorn could lose their jobs, but those currently serving in Afghanistan, preparing to deploy or just returned are expected to be exempt.

Shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy said it was “a dreadful day” for many members of the army and their families.

An army source said: “There is no firm idea yet of the breakdown of the numbers on a region-by-region basis.”