Fresh setback for £1.2bn nuclear submarine HMS Astute

Work on HMS Astute, billed as the first of a new generation of nuclear submarine, stopped at Barrow-in-Furness last month when a fire broke out in the conning tower as 20 people were working on board.

Now it has emerged that there are problems with the vessel's propulsion system, a fault which engineers have been unable to rectify because of the fire.

Part of a programme to replace the existing Swiftsure and Trafalgar class submarines, HMS Astute was expected to go into service this month.

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