ARMY recruitment is bucking the national trend in the county, but the local infantry regiment, The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters, has problems in holding on to its men.

Colour Sgt Garry Leech, at the Army Careers Office in Foregate Street, Worcester, said that while it is recruiting lots of interested youngsters the problem is with retaining soldiers after their initial signing-on period.

He said: "Recruiting is good, it's holding on to the men that is difficult. A lot of them just do their time, which is four years. It's the soldiers with four to eight years service that we need to keep."

Captain Adrian Garrett, the regiment's recruiting officer, added: "It's not a secret that the Army as a whole is short of manpower, especially the infantry. It's easy to assume that this is because of Iraq and Afghanistan but the guys who are joining us are the ones who want to go on operation."

The regiment is currently undertaking a major recruitment drive.

Many of the soldiers who are leaving after four, or eight years service, have been enticed away to work for salaries of up to £4,000 a month with private security firms in Iraq and Afghanistan.

However, some have returned because they did not receive the same level of support and health care if injured, as they would with the Army.

Capt Garrett added: "We have had five corporals sign back up in the last six months. This is a very new trend."

In an attempt to improve recruitment the Ministry of Defence has proposed that soldiers should not pay income tax when on overseas operations, that mortgages should be available at half bank base rate for troops, as well as interest free loans and even a golden hello for new recruits.

Major Bob Prophet, regimental secretary for the Worcest-ershire and Sherwood Forest-ers, had mixed views about offering incentives.

He said: "We are looking for people who are committed to doing their job as a soldier not someone who is coming in just for the money. We are not mercenaries.

"But then again, soldiers have to be looked after. There is no question about that."