FORMER paratroopers are attempting to sue the British Army over claims they suffered racial abuse which was covered up.

Lance Corporal N Zulu and Private H Gue say they were abused at the Merville Barracks in Colchester when serving in the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment and on deployment.

They also complained colleagues had displayed Nazi symbols.

Both left the Army in June last year.

Mr Zulu initially made a service complaint saying his career had been held back because of racism in August 2017.

The next year he made another complaint alleging he was the subject of a racial slur in 2014, saw soldiers take photos holding a Nazi flag and post it online, heard racist comments while deployed in Kenya on Exercise Askari Storm and saw abusive pictures put up on Mr Gue’s door at the Colchester barracks.

In legal submissions ahead of an employment tribunal, Mr Zulu said: “Whilst Mr Gue and Mr Kebede were having a conversation in my room, we noticed that photographs of me and Mr Gue, which were stuck on Mr Gue’s door, had been drawn on in permanent marker.

“The drawings contained racial slurs and pictures of swastikas.”

Mr Gue’s complaint said his fears were not taken seriously.

His legal submissions said: “The door to my accommodation was vandalised.

“The porch was urinated on, empty beer bottles were broken against the door, and racial slurs were written on the door.

“As I was new to the battalion at this stage, I did not report these events for fear of repercussion.

“I wrote two letters to the commanding officer highlighting my grievances and outlining the instances of racial harassment I had suffered during my employment.

“I was interviewed by the chain of command and was assured that action would be taken to ensure those problems did not happen in the future.

“Despite me informing the Officer in Command of my reasons for leaving the army, no record has been made of my grievance in relation to the racial harassment I have suffered.

“I believe this is a deliberate attempt by the army to cover up the true reasons for his [sic] resignation, which has left me feeling angry and disillusioned about the way the army has handled my complaints.”

Both said a “racist environment” is allowed to exist in some areas of 3 Para.

The Army Service Complaints Ombudsman had ruled some complaints, which did not directly involved the soldiers, were inadmissible but this has been overruled.

An MoD spokesman is reported to have said they could not comment on a case where proceedings are ongoing but complaints of discrimination were always taken seriously.