BATTLE lines are being drawn in the fight to keep RAF Lyneham open.

Shadow Defence Minister James Gray warned last week the base was under threat if Brize Norton in Oxfordshire is chosen as the home of a new transport fleet.

Now Mr Gray, who is also the MP for North Wilts, is forming an action plan and his first step is to meet Adam Ingram, the Armed Forces Minister.

"This is the biggest single threat to my constituency and I will be constantly speaking to civil servants and ministers at every chance. We can win this," said Mr Gray.

He also wants to encourage the formation of a local committee which could respond to the inquiry.

"We need to look at the military and local implications of what has been suggested. There are hundreds of people employed at the base and hundreds of families who could be affected. We must act now," he said.

RAF Lyneham has been at the centre of numerous war efforts for more than 60 years.

But its role is being reviewed by the Ministry of Defence.

Lyneham is one of the Royal Air Force's biggest and busiest air bases, operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

It has four squadrons 24, 30, 47 and LXX and each has more than 20 crews.

But its future is uncertain following an announcement that a review will look into where is the most cost effective place to base the new A400M aircraft.

Action to save the base will also include a public meeting, a call for a special debate in the House of Commons, a meeting with Tory MP David Cameron, whose Witney constituency takes in Brize Norton and one with Lyneham Station Commander Steve Duffill.

Uncertainty over the base's future has rocked people in Lyne-ham as well as those stationed there many years ago.

Len Moore of Stonelea Close, Chippenham, was a chief technician for the Line Servicing Squadron at the base in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

He said the news had made him feel very uptight and he has already written a letter to Mr Gray.

Mr Moore said the issues had not been thought through at all and there were many reasons why the move would be a disaster.

"The airfield is convenient for the Army at Warminster Brize Norton is a further 34 miles north," he said.

"The base also provides many ex-servicemen living in the area with jobs and if the planes are moved it could mean a 70-mile round trip for many.

"If they close Lyneham the air force will be extinct in the county and that is tragic," Mr Moore added.

Through Lyneham Old Boys Association Mr Moore keeps in regular contact with other men who were based at Lyneham.

Gerry Tripp, 66, of Audley Avenue, Chippenham, was also a chief technician. He was stationed at Lyneham for three years during the 1950s and then again in the 1970s.

"It will be such a shame and I personally hope the base doesn't close," said Mr Tripp.