Two RAF pilots will not be cleared of blame for a Chinook helicopter crash 14 years ago in which an Army officer from Bolton was one of the 29 people who died.

The BBC said findings of "gross negligence" against the men by an RAF Board of Inquiry would stand after Defence Secretary John Hutton decided a review of the case had uncovered no new evidence.

All 29 people on board the helicopter - including Major Anthony Robert Hornby, aged 38, from Lostock - were killed when it crashed on the Mull of Kintyre in Scotland in bad weather on June 2, 1994.

Campaigners from the Mull of Kintyre Group, which includes relatives of the pilots - flight lieutenants Jonathan Tapper and Rick Cook - have long argued that problems with the Chinook's engine control software could have been a factor in the crash.

A review into the crash was carried out after campaigners said they had uncovered evidence to challenge the findings of the RAF Board of Inquiry and handed over a new report to former Defence Secretary, Des Browne.

Mr Browne pledged to give "serious consideration" to the document.

The RAF Board of Inquiry's verdict overturned that of an initial probe which failed to find any specific cause for the crash.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said on Monday: "The Defence Secretary John Hutton conducted a private meeting with the Mull of Kintyre Group.

"It would not be appropriate to comment on what was described at this private meeting."