Soldiers are not the only ones who stand to benefit from an £8 billion private finance initiative to upgrade military accommodation.

Bats are also being borne in mind, the Ministry of Defence revealed today. For more than 700 bat bricks, bricks containing cavities in which bats can roost, are being fitted into new barracks across the South West.

It may seem batty but this is not a Halloween joke - it is important we look after bats, such as the brown long-eared and common pipistrelles,'' said an MoD spokesman.

The massive building project, aiming to provide decent housing for 18,700 soldiers, 20 per cent of the Army, comes after decades of neglect which has led to military accommodation falling into disrepair - creating bad conditions for soldiers, but terrific ones for bats.

The spokesman added: It is a huge project and we commission a survey by a licensed bat worker of every old building before it is demolished and make sure there are new bat roosts in the modern accommodation buildings to compensate.'' Building is taking place at six Army bases across Wiltshire and Hampshire.

Aliwal Barracks in Tidworth, the first accommodation to be completed, was opened earlier this month by the Secretary of State for Defence, Des Browne, and Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Richard Dannatt.