MoD alert as First Sea Lord's pass is stolen

Police guarding Ministry of Defence buildings have been ordered to step up security after the car belonging to Britain's most senior naval officer was stolen from outside his Chelsea home.

It contained security permits, prompting police to issue a terror alert to frontline officers.

Admiral Sir Alan West, First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff, was working at home when his V-registration, dark blue Range Rover was stolen in broad daylight. He had left swipe cards for the MoD and other Whitehall buildings in the car.

A ministry spokesman said: "We can confirm the First Sea Lord's official vehicle was stolen from outside his London residence on the afternoon of 20 May."

A source told the Daily Mirror the theft did not pose a security risk and the admiral's pass was deactivated the moment the theft was reported.

It is not the first time Sir Alan, a Falklands War hero, has been accused of lax security.

He almost saw his career ruined when he was court-martialled and severely reprimanded for losing secret documents outlining defence cuts while walking along a canal towpath in Berkshire in 1986.