PLANS to axe 20,000 jobs in the Army are likely to have an impact on Wiltshire.

Five infantry battalions are expected to be axed and other units merged or turned into reservists in the biggest overhaul of the Army in more than a century, under plans to be announced today.

The UK headquarters for the infanty battalions is based in Warminster - so the cuts will almost certainly have a local impact.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond will set out how the regular Army will be cut from 102,000 troops to 82,000 by the end of the decade - its lowest level since the Napoleonic Wars.

The plan - known as Army 2020 - is expected to see it split into two, with a reaction force, ready to respond to emergencies around the globe, and an adaptable force capable of carrying out a range of tasks and commitments.

Mr Hammond has said the changes - drawn up by Lieutenant General Nick Carter - will provide the basis of a smaller, more flexible and agile Army into the future.

But the prospect of losing historic units has been the cause of intense anguish within the service.

Other units under threat are reported to include the Yorkshire Regiment, the Royal Regiment of Scotland, the Royal Welsh and the Mercian Regiment.

Mr Hammond, who will set out details of the proposals in a statement to the House of Commons, has acknowledged that they have involved some "difficult" decisions.

But he said that cuts could not be avoided, with the demands for strict financial discipline under the Government's 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Under the plans, reductions in regular Army strength would be offset by increases in part-time reservists, with the Territorial Army doubling in numbers from 15,000 to 30,000.

We will bring you more updates on this story as it breaks throughout the day.