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A serious nuclear incident occurred at Britain's Trident submarine base in Scotland earlier this year, it has come to light.
Between January and April a Category A event took place at HMNB Clyde at Gare Loch in Faslane.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) defines a Category A incident as the most serious and those that carry a 'real or high potential for radioactive release into the environment'.
But the government department has insisted that the incident at HMNB Clyde posed no risk to the public nor did it result in any radiological impact on the environment.
The naval base is the headquarters of the Royal Navy in Scotland and is home to Britain's nuclear submarines, including the Vanguard ships armed with Trident missiles.
The Category A incident, which was first reported by The Herald, will raise concerns about the maintenance of weapons at the facility.
This was revealed in a written response from defence procurement minister Maria Eagle after she was asked to provide the number of Nuclear Site Incident Reports (NSERs) at Faslane and Coulport naval bases.
NSERs detail incidents at nuclear plants and are categorized based on their significance and impact on safety.
It found there had been one category A event in Faslane between January 1 and April 22, as well as two category B incidents, seven category C incidents and four category D incidents.
Eagle added that there were five other events considered 'below scale' and less serious.
While Coulport, where Britain's missiles and nuclear warheads are kept, experienced four category C events and nine category D events during the same period.
The SNP has demanded an urgent explanation from the government over a 'catalogue of failures' involving a particular pollution spill nearby.
“I cannot give specific details of the events, as disclosure would harm or be likely to harm the capability, effectiveness or safety of any relevant force,” the Eagle told SNP MP Dave Doogan, who tabled the question.
"I can assure the honourable member that none of the events listed in question 49938 caused harm to the health of any staff member or any member of the public and none resulted in any radiological impact on the environment," Eagle continued.
The incident is the second serious to occur at the Faslane naval base in two years, after a Category A event was recorded in 2023. And there were two similar events between 2006 and 2007.
It comes after it was discovered that radioactive water was released from the Royal Navy's nuclear weapons base at Coulport on Loch Long after some old pipes burst.
The substances leaked into the water because the Royal Navy did not adequately maintain a network of about 1,500 pipes at the base, according to a regulator.
"Nuclear weapons are an ever-present danger and this new information is deeply concerning," said SNP deputy leader Keith Brown.
With repeated reports of serious incidents at Faslane and now confirmed radioactive contamination at Loch Long, it is clear that there is a direct threat to our environment, our communities and our safety.
Worse still, the Labour government is refusing to provide any details about the Category A incident, or the full extent of the contamination, including who could potentially be affected. / Adapted from Daily Mail /
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