MILITARY look-out huts on the summit of two Dartmoor tors have been condemned by the Open Spaces Society.
Kate Ashbrook, general secretary of the society said: 'These huts are, to borrow a word from Prince Charles who owns the land, carbuncles on the fair face of Dartmoor.'
The 10 to 12 feet high grey metal huts, more than 1,500 feet up on Rough Tor and Oke Tor are said to be a blot on the skyline.
Ms Ashbrook said the old huts, which the new look-outs were presumably replacing, had been made of local granite and were 'less conspicuous'.
Ms Ashbrook added that the Ministry of Defence was required to notify the Dartmoor National Park Authority of any plans to erect new buildings in the park. The proposal must then be advertised and the public given a chance to object. However, Ms Ashcroft said there was no record of any advertisement for these new buildings.
The society has written to the Dartmoor National Park officer and the Duchy of Cornwall and asked for the matter to be investigated.
'It is outrageous that Prince Charles as Duke of Cornwall, who prides himself as a conservationist, should continue to acquiesce to this military abuse of a national park,' said Ms Ashbrook.
Lt Col Tony Clark said there had been military look-out huts on Dartmoor for more than 100 years. Many were initially made from local granite but had since been replaced with pre-fabricated structures.
'The huts to which they refer are used as part of the series of shelters provided for live firing to ensure that the public and livestock are clear when firing takes place,' he said.
Lt Col Clark said the Army did not wish to comment in detail until the Ministry of Defence and the DNPA had received full details of the concerns of the Open Spaces Society and been able to investigate them.
Lt Col Clark added that British troops needed training facilities and Dartmoor continued to provide a useful role in this.
Ms Ashbrook said the Open Spaces Society intended to step up pressure on the Duchy of Cornwall and the national park authority to refuse to renew the military's licences for live firing on northern Dartmoor when they expire in 2012.