Salisbury Plain Training Area (SPTA) firing times: April 2026
Updated 31 March 2026
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Salisbury Plain Training Area (SPTA)
As seen in the Security Defence Review, the Army are at heightened readiness due to a new era of threat. This has placed greater demands on the Defence Training Estate across the UK, which is being used for training more regularly and at shorter notice.
As such, the firing time notifications published on Gov.UK have been standardised to show the daily timings for when live-firing is permitted on the UK DTE. This is a change from the previous method of showing when training bookings had been made in advance.
This to ensure safety of all users, as it is not possible to change Gov.UK notifications at short notice. Broadly, the only guaranteed safe times for access are before or after the firing times provided on this page, however there may be exceptional circumstances where extensions have been requested.
If you wish to use the DTE for recreation, please always refer to onsite safety warning signals to understand if the site is safe to access before doing so.
Firing Times for April 2026:
These are the standard firing times subject to operation requirement extensions:
SPTA
| Monday: | 9am to 5pm |
| Tuesday: | 9am to 11:30pm |
| Wednesday: | 9am to 5pm |
| Thursday: | 9am to 11:30pm |
| Friday: | 9am to 5pm |
| Saturday: | 9am to 11:30pm |
| Sunday: | 9am to 1pm |
Your safety
Danger - When warning signals are displayed, regardless of the timings, do not cross the range boundary.
Warning signals are red flags by day and red lamps by night; range boundaries are marked by red and white poles. Red flags and red lamps indicate that live firing is taking place within the range boundaries.
Do not enter the danger area when in use, this could result in loss of life.
Do not touch any military debris, it may be dangerous. Please note the location and inform a Training Safety Officer (TSO) via 01980 674951 or the police.
Learn more about accessing MOD training areas safely safely.
Public access to military land
Site specific notes:
The public can roam or walk their dogs anywhere on the training area, outside the restricted areas, denoted by flags and signs. In addition, the public should stay clear of military training, for theirs and the soldier’s own safety. Policy dictates that a copy of the local Byelaws is posted at all major entrances to the training estate for public perusal. For safety reasons, the Byelaws state that the public cannot “enter any plantation of trees”. Troops training occupy wooded areas and defend them where appropriate using razor wire or low wire entanglements. It is in the public’s best interest to stay out of wooded area. Read more about SPTA: SPTA Newsletter
And/or
- Firing takes place when roads are marked as ‘Closed’.
- There is no entry into the out of bounds area, which is completely fenced and appropriately signed.
Contact us
For further information on the armed forces’ training at SPTA contact:
HQ SPTA, Westdown Camp, Tilshead, Wiltshire, SP3 4RS
Email Address: DTEOpsRoomSouthWest@landmarc.mod.uk
Phone: 01980 674951