Nuclear weapons convoy tracked heading through Northampton by campaign group

Campaigners have once again raised the alarm about the possibility of radioactive contamination should one of the trucks carrying nuclear weapons to the Trident submarine base in Scotland be involved in an accident.

On Wednesday a convoy carrying the warheads and detonators headed through Northamptonshire as it travelled from the Burghfield Atomic Weapons Establishment near Reading to Coulport, Scotland.

On its way, the trucks headed through Brackley and Towcester along the A43, before turning onto the Northampton stretch of the M1 and travelling north.

Campaign group Nukewatch, which tracks the convoys, is concerned a major accident could cause radioactive contamination over a wide area, such as Northampton, even without a full nuclear explosion.

Nukewatch’s Chris Coppock: “The convoy includes a fire engine and other emergency support, but (on Wednesday) this was stuck in other traffic a long way behind.

"A nuclear accident upwind of Northampton could have terrible consequences. Nuclear weapons threaten our safety, even if they are never used”.

The photograph attached shows Oxford Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament campaigner on the A34 in Oxford on Wednesday.

Among the convoy were four weapons carriers with escorts, a decontamination coach, a fire engine and a rear breakdown truck.

The Ministry of Defence says it does not discuss the purpose of specific convoy movements.