UK troops returning from Iraq are to be offered tests to check for traces of depleted uranium (DU) in their bodies.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced the screening programme after concerns were raised about the effects of exposure to DU, including a possible greater risk of cancer or kidney damage.

Britain's leading scientific body - the Royal Society - claimed soldiers and civilians may have been exposed to dangerous levels.

The MoD said it had decided last year to offer urine tests to personnel returning from deployments where DU ordinance was used.

On Thursday the United Nations said people in Iraq need urgent advice on avoiding exposure to DU.

It is the substance left over after ordinary uranium has been enriched for use in nuclear weapons or reactors and is used to make armour-piecing shells.

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