MINISTRY of Defence (MoD) plans to fire long-distance rockets in one of the region's most beautiful parks could come unstuck - because there are not enough rockets.

The MoD plans to spend £25m on a establishing a 60,000-acre heavy artillery firing range in the Northumberland National Park.

But a report in a national Sunday newspaper yesterday claimed that there are just 25 suitable training rockets left in the stockpiles and no budget to buy new ones.

That could end the plan to build the firing range at Otterburn, which the MoD says is the only range in the country long enough to test the M28 Multi-Launch rocket system.

The MoD plans to build roads, gun emplacements and parking areas for weapons and heavy artillery at the site, which accounts for 22 per cent of the entire park.

The vice-chairman of the charity Council for National Parks, mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington, is a leading campaigner against the development.

He said: "The damage to one of our most remote and unspoilt national parks would be catastrophic and does not need to happen."

The council has fought against the plans since 1992 and says 11 sites of special scientific interest, two natures reserves and 26 ancient monuments could be lost.

An Army spokesman said he would not comment while a report into the issue is with the Department of the Environment.