THE wife of a soldier who lost his leg fighting in Iraq is demanding an investigation into claims the limb could have been saved if medics had been carrying the right equipment.

Colour Sergeant Albert Thomson, 35, of Warminster, was shot four times in his left leg in a friendly fire incident while serving with the Royal Highland Fusiliers last year.

But allegations that the leg was only amputated because the army surgeon did not have the proper equipment have shocked the family.

Now his wife Michelle is demanding an investigation into the incident that left her husband with a prosthetic limb.

The scandal only came to light after an unnamed Armed Reserve officer gave evidence in private before MPs on the Commons Defence Committee last year.

At the weekend a national newspaper revealed accusations that the leg was only lost because the army did not have enough Vascular Repair Kits, costing £50 each.

Now the family have contacted lawyers and are waiting for a briefing by Ministry of Defence chiefs.

Speaking to the Wiltshire Times, Mrs Thomson said: "The first we heard of this was at the weekend and we were in a state of shock, we couldn't believe it.

"When the article appeared on Saturday morning we were shocked. I was just thinking is this true? How could it have happened?"

Sergeant Albert Thomson of the Royal Highland Fusiliers, stationed at Warminster, was shot four times when a colleague mistakenly opened fire just outside Basra.

He was flown home for treatment in the UK after the incident in March and has been given a prosthetic limb.

Mrs Thomson, who has a two-year-old son, Luke, said: "All we want is for the Ministry of Defence to investigate if what people are saying is true. We don't know much about the medical services and how it works so we want to know why wasn't the right equipment available and should it have been available?

"Soldiers over there are getting injured all the time and if it happens again it would be a catastrophe.

"Whether or not we take it any further will be decided by the outcome of the investigation.

"Albert is still working with the regiment and since he lost his leg we were trying to get back to normal but this news has really put a spanner in the works."

The soldier, originally from Scotland, lost 26 pints of blood after being mistakenly shot outside Basra. Accusations that a standard issue Vascular Repair Kit used to treat broken blood vessels were not available have been denied by defence chiefs.

A MoD spokesman said: "There were no reported shortages of Vascular Repair Kits in theatre.

"We have a medical chain of report that reveals any shortages of medical kit but a review of the incident conducted showed no such reports."

The MoD has claimed there will be no need for a full investigation and are preparing to brief the family on the review's findings.