A Ministry of Defence admitted recently that a review into the Hermitage home of 42 Engineer Regiment - soldiers currently serving in Iraq - will not be ready for another year.

Rumours abound that the site will be de-commissioned, and some villagers claim officials have told them the site's being weighed up for an immigrant detention centre.

The Government told Newbury MP David Rendel about the review last summer, and he has chased the Ministry twice since to end the uncertainty.

After the last attempt, Mr Rendel said: "First, ministers gave assurances that local people would have answers by February this year. Then they said that the matter was under review but failed to keep us informed about progress. Now they say the decision will be a full year late.

"Meanwhile, the servicemen and women at Denison still do not know what is going to happen to them and local people are left with their concerns about what will happen to their area."