Three USB drives that were stolen from an RAF base contained extremely personal details of thousands RAF personnel, in some cases describing their drug habits and extra-marital affairs, it has emerged.

A leaked Ministry of Defence memo revealed that “details of criminal convictions, investigations, precise details of debt, medical conditions, drug abuse, use of prostitutes, extra-marital affairs including the names of third parties," were on the three USB drives stolen from RAF Innsworth in September 2008. This information was used to ‘vet’ RAF employees.

The news has sparked fears that the information will be used to blackmail the affected employees, or by enemy intelligence forces.

"There is no evidence to suggest that the information held on the hard drive has been targeted by criminal or hostile elements," the Ministry of Defence has said, however.