Six SAS soldiers have become the first members of the regiment to be charged with embezzling army funds, it was revealed last night.

The long-serving soldiers face a court martial over allegations that they siphoned thousands of pounds from a budget for military training in the jungles of Brunei and Borneo.

They were arrested yesterday at Sterling Lines, the SAS base in Hereford, following an investigation by military police in response to a discovery that more than £250,000 had disappeared between 2003 and 2006. The money was reportedly stolen by methods including false receipts, double counting and expenses fiddling.

The Ministry of Defence confirmed last night that six service personnel had been charged with conspiracy to defraud, but a spokesman refused to comment further.

Two of the men are thought to be badged members of 22 Special Air Service, while the remaining four serve with the unit on attachment in administrative and support roles. Their identities are likely to be protected for national security reasons.

The charges carry sentences of up to five years in an army jail. The soldiers will attend a directions hearing, led by a military judge, in a court in Central London on December 19.

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