Security at the top-secret Space Cadets base has been branded "a joke".

A reporter for The People used a borrowed pass and drove into the disused airfield three times, mingling with members of the crew. He even managed to enter the former hangar holding the fake space shuttle.

One guard apparently told him, "I haven't got a clue what to do. It's all a bit boring to be honest."

An insider explained, "They've spent millions on this but the guards appear to be in a parallel universe. They're about as much use as a fake spaceship. Security is a joke and they have handed out far too many passes."