Four Afghan civilians are dead and three others hurt after British soldiers opened fire on a vehicle which failed to stop at a checkpoint.

The Ministry of Defence said the vehicle approached a checkpoint in the Sangin district of Helmand Province and warning shots were fired when it refused to stop.

The MoD said soldiers were then forced to shoot at the occupants.

A spokesman said there is always a risk that vehicles which fail to stop will contain explosives.

He added: "It's regrettable that this has happened but it's very hard to make these decisions."

The three injured civilians were treated for their injuries by medical personnel at the scene and were taken to Camp Inkerman for further checks.

They were then transferred by helicopter to Camp Bastion hospital for further treatment.

Two people inside the vehicle were not injured and they took the bodies of the four dead back to their village, a spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said.

He added that the two who were not injured indicated that they believed the driver was at fault for failing to stop.

The incident will be investigated.

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