Updated on Thursday, November 30, 2006, 00:00 IST

London, Nov 30: The morale of British Royal Marines serving on the front line in Afghanistan has plummeted after a 3,000 pounds allowance was deducted from their wages, following a "dreadful blunder" by Royal Navy administrators.

The revelation will come as an acute embarrassment for Prime Minister Tony Blair, who only last week was photographed among royal marines as he promoted Britain's strategy in the Taliban-ravaged country, a media report said.

Politicians and navy chiefs were so concerned over the impact of the wage cut that they sent extra human resources staff to Afghanistan to inform more than 1,000 commandos affected by the error, The Daily Telegraph reported.

The marines had been told they could receive up to 17 pounds extra a day as a special allowance for being on overseas operations during the six-month operation.

But they were misled and the ministry of defence has now refused to pay the extra 3,000 pounds the men had been promised, the report said.

The Ministry of Defence has realised the error and has told marines that they will not be getting the money they thought they would.

"The Royal Navy and Royal Marine personnel will be paid under joint personnel agency arrangements from this month," the spokeswoman said.

"Regrettably the internal royal navy instruction was wrong and some personnel are disappointed that they will not receive this substantial uplift. However, it is important to note that they are not taking a cut," she said.

Bureau Report