An British army base in Co Tyrone is set to close, it has been announced today.

It is expected that the closure of Clogher military base will take around six months to complete.

Announcing the decision, Deputy Chief Constable Paul Leighton said that the closure had been made following an assessment of the security situation and in full consultation with the army's top soldier in the province.

The closure, which is a measure to ensure that military resources are being used effectively and efficiently, will not affect the army's ability to support the police when required, Mr Leighton added.

Unionist representatives have reacted angrily to the closure.

UUP assembly member Tom Elliott voiced his "serious concerns", adding that it was "folly" to denude the border areas of military personnel.

Mr Elliot said: “It is a huge mistake to close down the base because it leaves our border area vulnerable, exposed and, apart from two small barracks in Enniskillen and Dungannon, virtually devoid of any significant military presence."

DUP assembly member Maurice Morrow said the closure was "nothing short of a sop to Sinn Fein/IRA".

"Once again, the safety and security of the people of this part of the Province is put lower down the pecking order than the appeasement of republicans. The Fermanagh and South Tyrone border is a long and porous one. By abandoning strategically important bases like Clogher, the government are effectively ceding control of certain areas to the terrorists," he said.

Sinn Féin's Michelle Gildernew said that the announcement was "long overdue".

"The British government have failed to deliver the programme of demilitarisation that they committed themselves to in the Good Friday Agreement and in the many subsequent negotiations. It is only through intense lobbying at the highest level that we are now seeing some piecemeal progress," she said.

(gmcg)