British troops ‘to be trained to check passports’ to avoid summer strike chaos

Military’s five-day training schedule has reportedly been reduced from three weeks

Training will begin on Monday, giving members of the armed forces less than a week to get up to speed (PA Wire)

Hundreds of soldiers and sailors are being drafted in to plug the gaps of striking Border Force staff, reports suggest amid fears of a second summer marred in travel chaos.

Training will begin on Monday, giving members of the armed forces less than a week to get up to speed before checking passports at Heathrow, Gatwick and Dover, according to The Guardian.

The newspaper also reports that members of the armed forces stationed at passport booths will not have the training required to detain people suspected of crimes such as carrying a false passport, drug smuggling or people trafficking, so long as they hold valid travel documents.