Tuesday March 5, 10:47 AM
Unmarried soldiers are being allowed to spend nights in barracks with their girlfriends in a break with Army tradition.A number of commanding officers around the country have already introduced the policy at weekends and others are set to follow.The move will affect around half of the Army's 100,000 soldiers.
It is hoped it will help persuade recruits to stay on in the service.
The Army is also setting up a number of "welfare houses" - bed and breakfast accommodation which soldiers will be able to book for a weekend with their girlfriends.
Alcohol will also be allowed on the premises.
An Army spokesman said: "We have been looking quite hard at the regime and how soldiers are treated within peacetime barracks.
"Many of the Army's rules and regulations have been around since the days of conscription and are no longer so applicable in 21st century Britain."
The spokesman added: "This is an example of how we are relaxing certain rules. Soldiers are individuals and what they do in their private lives is their own affair."
(This is a cached version of an article originally located at http://uk.news.yahoo.com/020305/140/ctdcr.html )