Army recruitment has been delayed because a new computer system is not working two months after the Ministry of Defence paid £1.3bn for it.

This weekend the MOD launched a new £3m recruitment drive with a series of short films aimed at reaching out to a broader base of applicants.

But The Sunday Telegraph has learned that some applicants have been unable to complete their online registration, with training delayed for some Sandhurst recruits.

"Interest in applying for the armed forces is still high, but problems with the computer system mean that some applicants cannot complete the online registration" an MOD source told the Sunday Telegraph. "This has led to a decline in the number of completed applications."

Since the system went live on November 13 last year documents due to be received by Sandhurst recruits have been delayed, forcing staff to sending thousands of emails manually in order to help applicants activate their accounts.