Nuclear safety getting worse in military facilities, says MoD study

The risk of accidents and radioactive leaks from Britain's ageing nuclear bombs and submarines is getting "progressively worse" because of deepening spending cutbacks, according to an internal Ministry of Defence report.

The report, which has been released under the Freedom of Information Act, reveals that the MoD is facing an increasing struggle to maintain the safety of the nation's military nuclear activities as cuts become "yet more painful". There was a "lack of adequate resource to deliver the defence nuclear programmes safely," it says.

Written by the MoD's senior nuclear safety watchdog, the report warns that the number of incidents at nuclear sites is "too high". This poses a "risk to the workforce and public safety and to the environment, in both short and medium term".

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