The safety of troops transported in the Army’s Warrior armoured personnel carrier was called into question by a coroner yesterday, when an inquest heard that four soldiers were killed after an explosive device ripped through the underside of the vehicle.

David Masters, the Wiltshire Coroner, said that he would be urging the Ministry of Defence to improve the armour fitted to the Warrior as quickly as possible. He said he would be seeking confirmation “from the top” that something was being done.

Alan Hepper, an armour expert, told the inquest at Trowbridge that the MoD had already ordered improved protection for the underside of the Warrior and other vehicles.

The armour on each side of the Warrior is more resistant to bombs and mines.

The dead soldiers were: Second Lieutenant Joanna Dyer, 24, of the Intelligence Corps, who was at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst with Prince William; Corporal Kris O’Neill, 27, and Private Eleanor Dlugosz, 19, both of the Royal Army Medical Corps; and Kingsman Adam Smith, 19, of the 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment. They were killed while returning from a patrol in southern Iraq in April last year.

Mr Masters, who recorded verdicts of unlawful killing, said that he would be meeting Bob Ainsworth, the Armed Forces Minister, this week to discuss the armour issue.

The inquest was told that the explosively formed projectile (EFP) device that was detonated by a command wire ripped a large hole in the bottom of the Warrior.

The coroner said the Warrior’s armour was no match for the bomb, which left a 3ft crater in the ground. “The armour could do nothing to combat the force of the explosion,” Mr Masters said.

After the inquest, Valerie O’Neill, the mother of Corporal O’Neill, from Halifax, West Yorkshire, called on the Government to spend more on defence for the troops.

“The bombs have become more and more sophisticated. I hope the Government puts more money into the Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan to give them the best protection,” she said.

The MoD said in a statement: “Safety of our personnel on operations is a prime concern, but there is no such thing as perfect protection, and armour alone is not the answer to force protection.”

The MoD added: “For vehicles, mobility and weaponry are also key components of protection.

“But training, tactics and procedures are also vital to the security of our forces and are of greater importance than armour alone.”

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