RAF Lyneham could shut down even earlier than expected, according to an MP who is demanding answers from the MoD about the closure.

James Gray, MP for North Wilt-shire, has called for a response from the Ministry of Defence after saying he has concerns over their story about the base's future.

And he has also demanded the truth be told about claims the military site was starved of cash for years, despite warnings by officials that it was not sustainable to keep holding back money.

Mr Gray, has tabled a series of formal questions, which under parliamentary rules must be answered.

One of them calls for details of the maintenance budget for every year since 1993 to be revealed.

The Conservative MP said it was important to learn the facts after a military source had told him requests for cash vital to sustain the base had been consistently undercut by millions of pounds.

He said: "The reason for the closure seems to be that the base hasn't been maintained at all well and it has slipped to the point that the cost of repairing the infrastructure would be huge.

"If that is the case that it was allowed to deteriorate, it is important that we should know," the Conser-vative MP said.

He also said that the timetable for closure, with complete shut down planned for 2012, appeared unrealistic given the details released by the Defence Ministry.

Instead he suggested that the base would be finished in as little as five-years from now.

According to the Ministry's blueprint, the number of Hercules heavy transport planes operating from the Wiltshire base was due to be reduced gradually.

When older K-series aircraft are withdrawn from service they will not be replaced, leaving just a handful of newer machines.

Mr Gray said: "When the K-class are phased out, that will mean there are two or three planes left using the base and they will be keeping it open for years just for that."

"If that is the case, I'm not sure that's an appropriate use of taxpayers money," he said.

The MP said that he was also not sure if this would be in the best interests of the area.

"In terms of finding alternative uses for the site we must know if we need to be ready for an earlier closure.

"It might be that we are better off getting on with the future," he said.

According to parliamentary rules, Mr Gray's questions were due to be answered on Thursday, but the MoD failed to issue replies.

A spokeswoman for the Ministry said she expected that some form of response to Mr Gray's inquiries would be issued shortly.

RAF bosses deny redundancy claim

CLAIMS that staff working for a major contractor at RAF Lyneham were given 30-day redundancy notice have been denied by company directors.

Yesterday, the Evening Advertiser was told by workers at Babcock Defence Services that a meeting had been called, where they were told that workers had been given a 30-day redundancy notice.

Today, directors at the company's headquarters at East Midlands Airport, near Derby, vehemently denied the claim.

Kevin Goodman, human resources director for Babcock Defence Services said: "We are not making anybone redundant and we have not announced any plans for redundancies.

"After the announcement of the closure of RAF Lyneham, we are now in discussions with our staff and their unions about what is going to happen," he said.

The company is the largest civilian contractor at the base, employing around 270 people in roles including the maintenance of the base's vehicle fleet, the handling of visiting aircraft, the repair and upkeep of Hercules aircraft systems and electronics.