The RAF Nimrod crash that killed 14 British service personnel in Afghanistan was "preventable", an independent review has found.

Presenting the long awaited Haddon-Cave report to the Commons Bob Ainsworth said the report was critical of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and its industrial partners at both organisational and individual levels.

"This will be very distressing reading for many, and particularly for those families who lost loved ones three years ago," he said.

"On behalf of the MoD and the Royal Air Force, I would like again to say sorry to all the families who lost loved ones.

"I am sorry for the mistakes that have been made and the lives that have been lost as a result of our failure. Nothing I can say or do will bring these men back."

The beleaguered defence secretary said he would produce a "full response" to the damning report before the Christmas recess.

"I have set this challenging timetable because I want to ensure that we can act with confidence that the right decisions will be made and the necessary work will be seen through," he said.

Ainsworth told MPs that the MoD had already changed its practises in order to improve the safety of the Nimrod fleet.

"We are aware that the implications stretch more broadly across defence to other items of equipment, so we have also scrutinised our safety management processes and organisation with great care," the defence secretary told MPs.

"Safety is now given absolute priority by the highest levels of the MoD."

"This report is a tough read. The subtitle of the report, 'A Failure of Leadership, Culture and Priorities', is a stark judgment," Ainsworth admitted.

"We do not shy away from it, or from the clear message in this report that we have more to do."

Shadow defence secretary Liam Fox said the report should serve as a "wake-up call" for politicians, industry and the military.

"It is a formidable indictment and describes multiple and repeated systemic failures," he said.

"It is genuinely shocking. Its most damning central conclusion is that there were previous incidents and warning signs that were ignored, and that the loss of this aircraft was avoidable."

"Cutting corners costs lives. You cannot fight wars on a peacetime budget and there is a moral imperative that those who are willing to risk their lives in the armed service of their country, should know at all times that everything is being done to maximise the chance of success of their mission, and to minimise their risk in carrying it out.

"The failure to do this resulted in the deaths of 14 servicemen, the avoidable and preventable deaths of 14 servicemen."

Liberal Democrat defence spokesman Nick Harvey said: "This is a tragic case of an accident that could have been avoided."

"This has been a case of wake-up calls from previous incidents not being heeded...the report is also damming of an industry which it accuses of incompetence, complacency and cynicism and I believe that while there is always danger in flying military aircraft, some of this was unnecessary and avoidable and the lives of personnel have been lost."