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Two men have been charged with negligence over the deaths of three soldiers during an SAS selection march in the Brecon Beacons.

L/Cpl Edward Maher, L/Cpl Craig Roberts and Cpl James Dunsby were taking part in a 16-mile (25km) recruitment exercise on the hottest day of 2013.

The Service Prosecution Authority confirmed charges had been brought.

The case will be heard in a military court and the maximum sentence is two years detention.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "Any decision to prosecute any personnel, veteran or serving, is made by the Service Prosecution Authority (SPA), an independent body."

L/Cpl Roberts, 24, from Penrhyn Bay, Conwy county, and L/Cpl Maher, 31 of Winchester, died on the exercise in July, while Cpl Dunsby, 31, from Wiltshire, was taken to hospital and died 17 days later.

All had suffered from hyperthermia, where the body no longer controls core temperature.

Initially, the SPA decided charges were not going to be directed against the pair, but relatives of the soldiers who died asked for the case to be reviewed.

The soldiers will appear in a military court, which provides jurisdiction for all members of the UK's armed forces, for both service and criminal matters.

The Military Court Service is independent and is headed by a civil servant.