An independent bullying watchdog must be set up to weed out abuse in the British Army, Mps said today.

In a scathing report, the Commons Defence Committee called for the creation of an independent military complaints commission to investigate bullying and harassment across the forces.

And it said the Ministry of Defence should look again at the ''appropriateness'' of recruiting young people under the age of 18.

But it rejected calls by the families of four young recruits who died in unexplained shooting incidents at the Army's Deepcut barracks in Surrey for a full public inquiry.

While the committee said it did not believe a public inquiry ''could add substantially'' to the investigations which had already taken place, it said that if an independent complaints commission was set up, it should have the power to investigate such cases retrospectively.

One Labour MP on the committee, Kevan Jones, said the families had been treated ''absolutely appallingly'' by the armed forces and that the death had been a PR disaster, leaving the Army with a ''huge credibility problem''.

The chairman of the committee, senior Labour MP Bruce George, described the report as ''hard-hitting'' and urged the MoD not to ignore its findings.

The report warned that a ''culture change'' is needed in the forces - particularly the Army - if bullying is going to be tackled effectively. It said that as long as the victims of bullying are perceived as ''weak'', they will be reluctant to come forward to seek help from their superiors in the chain of command.

The committee complained that the lack of statistical data meant it was impossible even to gauge the true extent of bullying, although it was clear that it was under-reported.

''For far too long in the past, the Armed Forces, and the Army in particular, failed to grasp the nettle of duty of care,'' it said.

''In the past, insufficient weight has been given to the issue of bullying, which led to a tolerance of, or at least insufficient action being taken against, bullying,'' it said.

''In recent years, attempts have been made to implement what it termed 'zero tolerance', but much bullying by both superiors and peers will continue to go unreported unless the culture changes.

''Accessible and independent channels for reporting are essential. The Armed Forces, and particularly the Army, still do not seem to understand the extent to which their hierarchical structures make it likely that abuses will continue.''

It said it was a ''serious failing'' by the MoD that it had not drawn up guidelines for the treatment of under-18s, for whom it was effectively acting ''in loco parentis''.

If the forces were to continue recruiting under-18s, the report said they should only be placed in barracks and training establishments suitable for their age group.

It urged the MoD to consider appointing counsellors to training establishments who would be able to offer advice to recruits and order monitoring and support for ''at risk'' individuals without hindrance from their superiors.

It said that when trainees were put on guard duty, they should be posted in pairs and that no under-18s should be required to undertake armed guard duty.

One of the soldiers who died at Deepcut, 17-year-old Private Geoff Gray, was found with two gunshot wounds to his head while on guard duty in September 2001.

Vetting procedures for instructors also need to be strengthened in the wake of the case of Leslie Skinner, who was convicted last year of five counts of indecent assault on male soldiers at Deepcut.

The report said the case suggested ''a disturbing level of indifference or incompetence, neither of which is acceptable''.

While it did not support the families' calls for a public inquiry into events at Deepcut, the committee was nevertheless highly critical of the investigations carried out by both Surrey Police and the Royal Military Police.

''The lack of transparency in the investigative process and its outcome has fuelled the disquiet surrounding incidents. In relation to the Deepcut investigations, we recommend as full a disclosure of information as possible,'' it said.

In particular, the committee called for the publication of the review of the Surrey Police investigation which was carried out by Devon and Cornwall Police.

The committee also complained that the level of support given to the families of servicemen and women who die in non-combat circumstances ''falls well short'' of that provided to families of combat casualties.

The way in which personal effects of dead soldiers were returned to the families was ''unacceptable'', it said.

It cited the case of Elaine Higgins, whose son Aled died in Germany. She told the committee that a box of her son's possessions was left on her neighbour's doorstep with many items - including his watch - still missing.

When the watch was eventually returned to her, it was still covered in blood.

The report said: ''The way in which personal items were returned to those families who gave evidence to us was unacceptable and contributed considerable additional distress.''