Dutch soldiers are being forced to yell 'bang bang' during training because the country's army is suffering from an ammunition shortage.

Frustrated soldiers are making the noises after being told they would no longer be able to use live ammunition in training - because too many bullets have been used on missions abroad.

It has led to a drop in morale, the military union VNM has claimed.

Play fighting: Soldiers in Holland have to yell 'bang bang' during training because of a shortage of bullets

President Jean Debie told De Standaard: 'Even if you have no bullets, you have to train with your weapon. That means you have to call out bang-bang-bang.

'That is of course disastrous for the morale of the military.'

Debie went on to argue training with fake bullets was not as effective as using the real thing.

A confidential email, leaked to RTL Nieuws has revealed the extent of the shortage, with even competitive shooting teams being told to stop training.

'I cannot make it better, but there's really no ammunition,' the email concludes.

Problem: The government says problem has been caused by 'high consumption' and 'long delivery times'

The Dutch defence ministry has acknowledged the problem, saying it was caused by 'high consumption' and 'long delivery times'.

But said it is not adversely affecting its soldiers.

'They can practice as much as necessary,' a spokesman told NOS, a Dutch broadcasting company.



