Our troops 'betrayed': Paras chief who quit speaks out for first time over treatment of soldiers

Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Tootal said he had been shocked by how 'our wounded soldiers were not being looked after'.

He accused defence chiefs of failing to address the low level of soldiers' pay, pointing out that troops risking their lives earn far less than tanker drivers.

Medal hero returns: Lt Col Stuart Tootal (l) was greeted by Defence Secretary Des Browne after returning from his tour of Afghanistan

He also suggested they were stuck in a 'Cold War mentality', fixated on high-tech equipment such as fighter jets rather than on kit for ground troops.

Lt Col Tootal led the 3rd battalion the Parachute Regiment in Helmand in 2006.

He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order but resigned last November after 20 years in the Army.

He had reportedly written an explosive letter of resignation, citing the 'appalling' and 'shoddy' treatment of troops as the reason for quitting his £70,000 post.

The letter was described by a source as a 'devastating indictment' of Government policy.

Members of the 3rd Battalion the Parachute Regiment in action in the Helmand province of Afghanistan earlier this year

It highlighted poor pay, a lack of training equipment, appalling Army housing, and the treatment of soldiers at the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham.

The unit has been criticised for treating soldiers alongside civilians and for overstretching its staff, leading to inadequate care.

In an interview with the Observer yesterday, Lt Col Tootal said: 'All the guys I fought with were really motivated and really professional and the least a grateful nation owes them is the right gear and the right support.'

He welcomed improvements to the care of wounded soldiers announced last week, although he said they were 'late in the day' and that continuing to treat soldiers on mixed-sex wards was 'unacceptable'.

He also welcomed plans to double compensation for seriously injured servicemen to £570,000, a move which followed a Daily Mail campaign.

But he suggested the proposals should also have addressed the issue of junior soldiers' pay.

'Even with the tax-free bonus for a tour somewhere like Afghanistan, soldiers get only £20,000,' he said.

'A tanker driver in the UK who can go on strike and takes no risks gets £32,000.'

Lt Col Tootal, who stressed that personal reasons as well as his grievances had prompted his resignation, said that he considered the war in Afghanistan 'winnable', but that it could take 20 or 30 years.

He called for an end to the 'Cold War mentality' at the MoD, saying: 'We have to ask if we really need so many high-altitude fighters right now. Defence has to be about priorities. We can't do everything. Helicopters are critical and save soldiers' lives.'

His comments on pay echo those of the head of the Army, General Sir Richard Dannatt, who last month said that many soldiers were paid less than traffic wardens.

The average salary for a traffic warden is £20,526. A newly trained private earns £16,227, although benefits and allowances take his pay to just below that of a traffic warden.