They [Landmine Action] are undermining their own campaign

John Spellar, UK Defence Minister

The director of Landmine Action, Richard Lloyd, told the BBC: "The military thinking behind these systems is that they will be targeted at civilians."

The Ottawa Treaty bans the manufacture, stockpiling and use of all anti-personnel mines.

These indiscriminate weapons have been sown liberally in troublespots around the world.

They continue to kill and maim long after the conflicts have ended and most of their victims are innocent civilians going about their daily lives.

Most Western governments - including Britain - have signed up and complied with the Treaty's requirements.

Similar weapons

But Landmine Action says that while they may be abiding by the letter of the agreement, they are breaking its spirit by continuing to keep the anti-tank or anti-vehicle mines.

A deadly legacy of conflict

The UK Ministry of Defence insists that Britain's anti-tank mines cannot be set off in this way.

Minister John Spellar accused Landmine Action of undermining its own campaign by discouraging countries like Russia, China and the United States from signing up to the Ottawa Treaty.

"They [Landmine Action] are actually undermining their own campaign which I think is very unfortunate given the very good work that they've done previously," said Mr Spellar.

Our correspondent says it is clear, though, that a huge technological effort is underway to find other forms of area-denial weapons that will not fall under the Treaty's provisions.

And Landmine Action warns that the pace of technical change means that vigilance is needed to ensure that new generations of weapons do not threaten non-combatants in future conflicts.