Boots polished to a shine and brass buttons gleaming on perfectly-pressed tunics, the traditional British soldier has always prided himself on looking immaculate.

But on the hot, dusty battlefields of southern Afghanistan, UK troops fighting the Taliban are embroiled in a new campaign... against having to iron their uniforms.

Servicemen and women risking their lives in Helmand province say they have enough to worry about without being forced to press their combat gear several times a week.

Commanders said ensuring soldiers were not scruffy helped maintain discipline and professionalism in the Armed Forces.

But troops in Camp Bastion, the main British military base in the warzone, have hit out against the 'ironed uniforms policy'.

In a letter to Soldier, the British Army's magazine, a serviceman known only as Corporal Atherton said he was 'horrified' by the rule, which 'has clearly been thought up by somebody sat bored behind a desk'.

He went on: 'We are at war after all and should be focusing on our jobs, not unnecessary policies.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1376287/British-soldiers-fighting-Taliban-told-iron-uniforms.html#ixzz1JVYDpGJ2