THERE are clearly those who wish the controversy over the Deepcut barracks would just go away.

Too many people are asking awkward questions and raking over coals which the Ministry of Defence would like to burn out.

But it has gone too far for that. There is now an unstoppable momentum behind the calls for answers to the mysterious deaths of four soldiers - including North-East teenager Geoff Gray - at the Army base in Surrey.

A Panorama investigation by the BBC last night led to the naming of a sergeant major at Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire as the man at the centre of allegations which are threatening to become one of the biggest scandals to face the British Army.

If Sergeant Major Andrew Gavaghan was - as is alleged - part of a culture of bullying at Deepcut, he must be kicked out of the service because there can be no place for victimisation in the British Army.

The Panorama allegations are damaging to the reputation of the sergeant major, the armed forces, and Britain itself, and the response must be swift, positive and completely transparent.

The latest developments add more weight to the demands for a full public inquiry into the whole affair. Did four soldiers take their own lives or were they driven to their deaths by physical and mental torture?

We know the Government does not like public inquiries - the Richard Neale scandal at The Friarage Hospital in Northallerton being a topical example - but there are times when the level of public concern is such that there is no alternative.

Magic moment

ALAN Shearer has scored some wonderful goals in an illustrious career - but was there a better one than the full-blooded volley he unleashed in the dying minutes against Everton last night?

The Newcastle United skipper would have felt extra satisfaction from scoring his 100th Premiership goal for Newcastle against Manchester United at Old Trafford a week ago.

But the milestone was overshadowed by Newcastle's defensive frailties which led to a 5-3 drubbing.

Wouldn't it have been fitting if the century had waited for last night's remarkable strike which set up a victory in front of Shearer's adoring home supporters?