THE British Army has been ordered to take an extended 25-day Christmas holiday or “work from home” in an attempt to cut its gas and electricity bills.

In a move that former military commanders say is unprecedented, a leaked memo from a general says all military and civilian personnel in land forces — amounting to 110,000 men and women — are to take “block leave” for 25 days from December 14 until January 7.

The decision means all army barracks, Territorial Army buildings and other military sites in Britain will close for almost four weeks to provide “an opportunity for utility savings”.

Although it says the closure is in recognition of the extra workload for the Olympics, which involved 18,000 personnel, the order applies to