PRINCE Charles has been invited by the Dartmoor Preservation Association to come and see for himself the damage created to Dartmoor National Park by a military exercise in July.

In an open letter to the Prince of Wales and Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon, the DPA?s chief executive John Bainbridge has challenged them to visit and see ?the way the northern wilderness of Dartmoor has been thoroughly compromised by military training?.

Two of Dartmoor?s three ranges are owned by Prince Charles and leased by him to the Ministry of Defence.

The letter follows the damage caused to 11km of land during an exercise involving some Royal Marine Commandos, in which the movement of 18 lightweight 4x4 Army vehicles was authorised.

The incident fuelled the campaign by the Dartmoor Preservation Association to prevent the Army regaining its licence to use the moor ranges when it comes up for renewal in 2012.

But the Army has asked people to take the incident in context as the moor had been used by the military for 200 years and provided it with an essential training ground which enabled it to carry out operational roles of defending the nation and its interests.

Following an investigation of the damage by officials from DEFRA and Dartmoor National Park Authority, members of the authority will be advised to make strong recommendations to the Ministry of Defence and Duchy of Cornwall to avoid any repetition of this exercise in the future and ensure restoration of the damage when they meet tomorrow (Friday.)

Mr Bainbridge said in his letter to Prince Charles and Geoff Hoon that deep scarring had been caused for miles across the Northern Dartmoor Site of Special Scientific Interest.

?The ruts left by these vehicles will undoubtably erode as and when we have wet weather and the tracks will deepen if walkers, riders and grazing stock use them,? he wrote.

?We have portable loos scattered intrusively around the moorland, ugly military huts and flagpoles which disfigure the summits of our finest tors and hilltops, miles of roads and tracks penetrating deep into the heart of Dartmoor and dangerous unexploded ordnance which the Army says will take at least a century to clear.?

He went on to say that due to live firing, public access to the wildness areas of the national park including the highest summits in Southern England was denied on many days.

Mr Bainbridge added: ?Prince Charles is a conservationist of some standing ? we would like him to come to Dartmoor so that we can show him examples of the way his military tenants are betraying national park principles.

?The Prince will have to make a decision whether or not to renew the military licences in 2012 ? we ask that he rules out a renewal here and now so that a phased withdrawal can take place. Only then will we have a proper Dartmoor National Park.?

A spokesperson for the Duchy of Cornwall said Prince Charles was a regular visitor to Dartmoor but he was incredibly busy and had no plans to make a return visit at the moment.

?The Duchy recognises that training on Dartmoor makes an important contribution to the safety and effectiveness of the armed forces and until and unless the Government feels this is not necessary it should continue to be carried out under strict environmental and access conditions,? she said.

In a report to the Dartmoor National Park Authority, chief executive Nick Atkinson said that the incident of damage was all the more regrettable because some very positive MoD conservation activities had been carried out over the past ten years, benefitting both the historic environment and wildlife, and range maintenance had much improved.

In a previous article, Lt Col Tony Clark from Okehampton Camp told the Times he had not anticipated the marks being so distinct as the lightweight vehicles had been used before with no consequence.

He said it was important to keep the balance between the Army?s use of the moor for training and people?s enjoyment of it: ?We must remember that this damage will not be lasting,? he said.