TWO men are facing charges over the deaths of three soldiers during an SAS selection march in the Brecon Beacons.

The negligence charges are being brought by the Service Prosecution Authority (SPA) and the case will be heard in a military court and the maximum sentence is two years in detention.

Army reservists Lance Corporal Edward Maher, L/Cpl Craig Roberts and Cpl James Dunsby had been taking part in a 16-mile recruitment exercise over Pen y Fan on the hottest day of 2013.

But a coroner ruled parts of the planning and conduct of the march were inadequate or not fit for purpose following an inquest in 2015.

L/Cpl Roberts, who was 24 and from Penrhyn Bay, Conwy, and L/Cpl Maher, 31, of Winchester, died during the exercise and Cpl Dunsby, also 31 and from Wiltshire, died in hospital 17 days later.

All had suffered from hyperthermia, where the body no longer controls core temperature.

The charges have been brought after relatives of the soldiers asked for an initial decision of the SPA to be reviewed.

An MOD spokesman said: "Any decision to prosecute any personnel, veteran or serving, is made by the Service Prosecution Authority (SPA), an independent body."