THE Ministry of Defence and RAF were so busy trying to save money they did not pay enough attention to safety, a report into the Nimrod spy plane disaster has found.

Fourteen servicemen, including Christchurch airman Flt Lt Leigh Mitchelmore, were killed three years ago when their plane exploded just after being refuelled in mid-air near Kandahar in southern Afghanistan.

Defence secretary Bob Ainsworth told the House of Commons the independent report would make “very distressing reading” for many.

He said: “I’m sorry for the mistakes that have been made and that lives have been lost as a result of our failure. The loss of the aircraft was preventable. In pursuit of financial savings, the MoD and RAF allowed their focus on safety to suffer.”

The report, from top barrister Charles Haddon-Cave QC, says financial pressures led to a “dilution of the airworthiness regime and culture within the MoD”. He slammed the Ministry’s industrial partners, BAe Systems and QinetiQ.

Mr Ainsworth said two RAF officers strongly criticised in the report have been moved to posts where they have no responsibility for safety.

Since the incident in September 2006, the Nimrod fleet has undergone modifications and air to air refuelling has been stopped.

“I’m aware the implications stretch more broadly across defence to other items of equipment.

“Safety is now given absolute priority at the highest levels of the Ministry of Defence,” added Mr Ainsworth.

The explosion happened after fuel came into contact with a hot air pipe. An RAF inquiry found that ageing components and the lack of fire suppressants contributed to the disaster.

Flt Lt Leigh Mitchelmore, 28, who grew up in the Christchurch area and attended Highcliffe School left a widow Claire and two young children.

After the disaster, Mrs Mitchelmore said: “It is unacceptable that nearly all military aircraft are ageing. I feel that they were utterly let down by those they put their trust in.”

The Nimrod aircraft was developed from the 1950s Comet passenger jet built by De Havilland, which had a factory in Christchurch.