THE father of a North-East soldier who died at Deepcut barracks has launched a fresh attack on the Army, claiming it withheld his son's love letters for more than 17 months.

Geoff Gray said he only knew is the letters existence when Surrey Police, who are investigating four deaths at the barracks, told him they had recovered them. He is now demanding to know why the letters were not handed over along with Private Geoff Gray's other personal belongings following his death at the Surrey barracks in September 2001.

Pte Gray, of Seaham, County Durham, was 17 when he died and is one of four young soldiers who died from gunshot wounds at Deepcut between 1995 and 2002.

Army investigations found they committed suicide by turning their own rifles on themselves, but Surrey Police are re-examining evidence along with an independent forensic expert hired by the families.

Mr Gray said he understood the letters were from a girlfriend who lived in Australia.

"The Army has been withholding personal letters for a year and a half," he said.

"Those letters are mine. They should have been passed on to me. What gives them the right to hold on to those letters? I was told it was procedure. It is not good enough."

It is not known whether the letters may contain information useful to the police investigation, although Mr Gray believes they are just love letters.

He hopes to be given them in the next few weeks.

A spokeswoman for Surrey Police said: "We can confirm we have recently retrieved some letters that we are looking into."

The other deaths at Deepcut involved in the investigation are those of Pte Sean Benton, 20, from Hastings, East Sussex; Pte James Collinson, 17, from Perth, and Pte Cheryl James, from Llangollen, north Wales.