A soldier has been shot during a training exercise on the Sennybridge shooting ranges in Powys.

An Army spokesman confirmed the soldier was shot in the lower right leg on Wednesday afternoon.

He was taken by ambulance to Nevill Hall Hospital in Abergavenny after receiving emergency treatment from paramedics.

Up to 300,000 soldiers train at the ranges

Dyfed Powys Police and the Ministry of Defence have launched a joint investigation into the shooting.

The Army did not comment on whether the soldiers were training for possible military action in Iraq.

The soldier's injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.

The unnamed man was taking part in a live firing exercise when the incident occurred.

The 16 Air Assault Brigade based at Colchester has been staging a major exercise on the ranges all week.

Ammunition

In February last year, a 27-year-old infantryman had to be airlifted to hospital after being injured in his body and arm by live ammunition

The incident happened almost four years after Grenadier guardsman Richard King was killed when live ammunition got mixed up with blanks during a training exercise.

In October 2002, the MoD accepted liability for the incident and paid his family �5,000.

Nearly 300,000 soldiers use the Sennybridge ranges to train on every year.