A former top-secret World War II base in Bedfordshire could be sold from 2030, the Government has announced.

MoD Chicksands, near Shefford, was a Y station, which intercepted and logged coded enemy transmissions during the conflict.

It is now used by Defence Intelligence, but the Ministry of Defence has revealed it is "working towards a schedule that will enable a disposal from 2030 onwards".

The sale announcement was made by Minister for Defence Procurement James Cartlidge in the House of Commons, but he did not confirm the future of Chicksands Priory or the Military Intelligence Museum on the land.

Labour's Mid Bedfordshire MP Alistair Strathern said he will hold ministers "accountable" to make sure those living in service accommodation are not left to live in "sub-standard conditions".

The Comet: Mid Bedfordshire MP Alistair Strathern.Mid Bedfordshire MP Alistair Strathern. (Image: PA Images/PA Wire)

"I will be engaging closely with ministers to understand their plans for Chicksands, the impact on personnel and their families, and hold them accountable," he said.

"This is to ensure this isn’t used as an excuse to allow those living in service accommodation attached to Chicksands to continue to live in sub-standard conditions."

The station was opened shortly before the start of the Second World War, and was leased to the United States Air Force in 1950.

British forces took control of the base in 1995, and it was partially turned into housing, with Central Bedfordshire Council also opening a new headquarters on the site.

Defence Intelligence then used the rest of the site unaffected by housing.