The families of four British military personnel killed while in armoured vehicles in Afghanistan and Iraq are to launch legal action against the Ministry of Defence, Armed Forces International understands.

Those planning to the sue the MoD are said to be doing so on the grounds of negligence, saying that the Snatch Land Rovers in which their loves ones died had insufficient armour to offer protection against the blasts that killed them. The ministry, however, is adamant that these vehicles are right for the tasks that need to be performed in conflict zones like Afghanistan and Iraq.

Over the past six years, over 35 members of the British armed forces have lost their lives whilst inside Snatch Land Rover vehicles. These vehicles are used by the UK military for tasks when the requirement is for a quick mode of transport and, while designed to withstand the impact of some explosive devices, critics of them highlight how they cannot properly protect against roadside bombs.

In 2008, John Dutton - at that time UK Defence Secretary - said a public Snatch Land Rover enquiry would not happen, announcing instead that £700 million would be invested into acquiring replacement vehicle technology.

As far as the families behind the legal action are concerned, the MoD did not protect their sons adequately, and so violated their human rights. They add that the ministry is also guilty of negligence, and highlight how the May 2009 ruling made in the Court of Appeal expanding the scope of the Human Rights Act to include battlefields backs them up.

The families involved are those related to the following, four members of the British armed forces.

• Private Lee Ellis, who lost his life in Iraq three years ago
• Marine Gary Wright, who lost his life in Afghanistan, also three years ago
• Lieutenant Corporal Kirk Redpath, who lost in life in Iraq two years ago
• Private Philip Hewett, who lost his life in Iraq four years ago.

The lawyers involved in these cases have highlighted the prospect of further, similar actions taking place in years to come.

"Over the past 14 months, the MoD has received four compensation claims following deaths involving Snatch Land Rovers in Iraq and Afghanistan", a spokesman for the ministry stated.

"The MoD pays compensation wherever there is a liability to do so.

"In these cases we remain profoundly aware of the enduring grief of the four families who lost their loved ones in combat."