ABUSE allegations at Army barracks must be investigated independently following the bullying scandals at Deepcut and Catterick, a report by MPs said yesterday.

The Defence Select Committee criticised Army chiefs for failing vulnerable young recruits by not taking their complaints seriously.

They were accused of being "obsessed with the chain of command" and of putting the need to prepare troops for the horrors of war ahead of their "duty of care" during training.

North Durham MP Kevan Jones accused the Army of cruelty and of treating some recruits "worse than animals".

The committee's main recommendation was the setting up of an independent complaints commission to look into the worst abuse allegations, to prevent the Army investigating itself.

Crucially, the commission would have retrospective power, allowing it to launch inquiries into deaths at the barracks in Deepcut, Surrey, and Catterick Garrison, in North Yorkshire.

A Northern Echo investigation found bullying allegations at the North Yorkshire base spanning more than 20 years and has campaigned for a public inquiry into non-combat deaths.

Private Geoff Gray, of Seaham, County Durham, was among four recruits who died of gunshot wounds in unexplained circumstances at Deepcut, between 1995 and 2002.

Last night, his father, also called Geoff, said: "Thank God the Defence Select Committee has had the guts to say there is a huge problem here that needs fixing.

"But, having said that, it did not go so far as saying we need a public inquiry - and that's the only way we can sort out this sorry mess."

The report rejected an inquiry, partly because of the difficulty in deciding whether it should focus narrowly on the four Deepcut deaths or on the wider culture of bullying.

It noted there had been 276 Army "suicides" between 1984 and 2001. A further 49 deaths were recorded as open verdicts and 41 still await a coroner's verdict.

Parents of recruits at Catterick, where there have been 27 deaths since 1995, also gave evidence of abuse to the committee's inquiry.

Lynn Farr, whose son Daniel died at the base in 1997, said: "It is a step forward but a public inquiry will only uncover the truth."

Soldiers will be able to report allegations to the commission, which would have the freedom to launch inquiries.

The Ministry of Defence is expected to comment on the findings in June.