BOSCOMBE Down's bid to house the RAF's new tanker fleet looked close to foundering this week after it emerged that the base used by the current fleet is considered to be more cost-effective.

This is according to the Defence Procurement Agency's preliminary analysis, which concludes that Brize Norton in Oxfordshire offers better value for money as the base of the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) project.

Responding to questions raised by Salisbury MP Robert Key in the House of Commons, chief executive of the Defence Procurement Agency Robert Walmsley indicated that Boscombe Down's bid would struggle.

"Our work has concluded that RAF Brize Norton is likely to offer the most cost-effective operating base for the FSTA service," he said in a letter to Mr Key, while stressing that this is not a final decision.

Sue Ellison, spokeswoman for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency, which operates Boscombe Down,

reiterated the point that the bidding process is still in the early stages.

She said: "We've always known that we were going to have stiff competition, but we have to think about the long-term future of the site. Defence budgets are decreasing."

Meanwhile a group of Woodford Valley residents are continuing with their legal challenge to the tanker project.

This group is led by rock star Sting who, ironically, pays Dera for the privilege of using Boscombe Down twice a year when flying by private jet.