The Ministry of Defence is to resume test-firing a limited number of its depleted uranium (DU) tank-killing rounds in Scotland this week to verify the safety of the controversial ammunition.

The tests at the Dundrennan range overlooking the Solway Firth will be the first using the radioactive DU rounds since 2001 and will involve a small number of shots against paper targets to avoid the risk of contamination from a toxic dust plume that can result from a direct hit on armour or other solid objects.

The trial will be conducted by QinetiQ on behalf of the MoD and is expected to last about two days.

The Army fired an average 300 rounds annually at Dundrennan, Kirkcudbright, for 20 years up to 2001 to "prove" samples selected at random from batches of rounds supplied by Royal Ordnance.

Despite claims that contamination from the use of DU tank and aircraft cannon shells during the Kosovo campaign and in both Gulf wars had caused cancer and leukemia among those exposed to the debris, the MoD insists there is no conclusive evidence pointing to cancer risks.

Seven Italian soldiers who served briefly in the combat zone in Kosovo later died of cancer and a rash of claims followed from British and American troops over illness they attributed to inhalation of the toxic dust.

An MoD spokeswoman said yesterday: "The firings are necessary to carry out safety checks on the ammunition, which is currently needed for military operations."