Harassment, discrimination and bullying is rife in the army, an official survey has found.

A Ministry of Defence study shows that 43 per cent of military personnel believe harassment to be a widespread problem.

Paul Keetch has called on the army to stamp out the culture of bullying.

The Lib Dem defence spokesman wrote to the MoD asking for the results of a survey of 2000 army personnel.

The findings included the figure that 43 per cent of army staff believe there is a problem with harassment, discrimination and bullying.

Of these, 5.4 per cent said they had personally experienced bullying and 11 per cent believed this was a problem in their own units.

A further 4.7 per cent complained of sexual discrimination or harassment, and 3.8 per cent of racial discrimination or harassment.

Keetch said that: "At a time when our armed forces are struggling to recruit and retain, the perception that bullying is rife will do little to attract people to the ranks.

"Army personnel, those best able to judge the situation for themselves, see bullying as a serious problem.

"The army must stamp out the culture of bullying and harassment.

"Forces families have every right to expect a robust protection system in place for young recruits facing the scourge of bullying".

The findings came in the form of written parliamentary answers from Adam Ingram, minister for the armed forces.

An army spokesman told the Guardian that the 43 per cent figure reflected perception rather than reality.

"It is certainly not something we turn a blind eye to. Cases are fully investigated and can result in dismissal," she said.

The findings come a month after Ingram announced an "appraisal" of the army's training procedures.

This move followed the deaths at the Royal Logistics Corps barracks at Deepcut.

Initial reports of suicide were contradicted by an open verdict on the death of private Geoff Gray.