THE Government last night vowed to leave no stone unturned in its investigation into the deaths of a number of British soldiers.

A police investigation into the deaths at Deepcut barracks in Surrey is to be followed by an Army inquiry, Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram said.

He promised MPs that any ''new lessons to be learned'' from the investigations would be ''moved forward quickly''.

The Government would respond to police and army reports ''positively'', he added.

Families of the young soldiers demanded an investigation into the deaths after concerns were raised about bullying and the possible involvement of officers.

Private Geoff Gray, 17, formerly of Seaham, County Durham, died in September 2001. Privates Cheryl James, 18, and Sean Benton, 20, died in 1995, and Private James Collison died earlier this year on March 23.

Conservative Nick Hawkins, whose Surrey Heath constituency includes Deepcut barracks, said the investigation was a ''matter of grave concern''.

He called for the Army to follow up the police investigation with their own inquiry to ''look into any further implications there may be for military matters''.

Private Gray's family is backing calls for the review to include other barracks, including Catterick, in North Yorkshire.

The Northern Echo revealed last week how questions still remain over as many as 23 deaths at Europe's biggest Army base.