A further four soldiers from Second Battalion, the Princess of Wales Regiment, remain the subject of an internal investigation by the Military Police.

In September the army confirmed that random urine tests had proved positive on 14 of the regiment's soldiers.

The army has said it will not tolerate the mis-use of drugs - dismissal is the usual punishment.

A spokesman said: "The normal procedure is for a soldier to be discharged immediately but where it is felt a soldier is a bit younger and impressionable and can grow out of it, the soldier can be given a second chance."

The spokesman said the drug test had been random and the regiment, part of a fast-response unit which can be deployed anywhere in the world, had not been singled out.

About 600 soldiers from the Second Battallion are based at Tern Hill barracks at Market Drayton.