The Ministry of Defence has identified a further 56 sites to sell, as it moves towards its target of releasing enough land for the development of 55,000 homes by 2020.

The department had previously identified 35 sites it would sell, with the new total of 91 comprising around 9% of the 1,000 sites.

The sites will be disposed of by 2040, with more than 32,000 acres of defence land released, including 10 airfields and five golf courses.

In a document setting out the strategy, the Ministry of Defence said the sales would reduce its running costs by £140m over 10 years.