Data gathered by Green MSPs shows councils failing to protect public from nuclear bomb convoys
A new report using data gathered by the Scottish Green MSPs says that local councils and the Scottish Government are failing in their duties to protect the public from the risk of accidents involving convoys of nuclear weapons.
High explosives and nuclear warheads are regularly transported to the Royal Navy armaments depot at Coulport in Argyll & Bute, with lorry convoys passing through Glasgow, Renfrewshire, West Dunbartonshire, Stirling, Falkirk, Edinburgh, East & West Lothian, Midlothian, Scottish Borders, North & South Lanarkshire and Dumfries & Galloway.
A new report by Nukewatch UK, a group that monitors nuclear weapons movements, highlights Freedom of Information requests from the Greens which reveal that none of these local authorities has conducted risk assessments in relation to the convoys and none has taken any proactive steps to inform the public about the risks or explain how the council would respond to an incident.
By contrast, the emergency plan relating to the Clyde naval and armament bases requires local residents to be informed every three years about how they should respond to an emergency.
Mark Ruskell MSP, Environment spokesperson for the Scottish Greens, said:
"It will surprise and shock many people to learn that nuclear weapons loaded onto lorries routinely pass by houses and schools in our communities on their way to the navy depot at Coulport. What people will find even more disturbing is that our local councils have not assessed the risk these convoys pose, despite councils being Category One Responders and expected to be among the first to deal with any incident.
"Councils have not assessed the impact of a release of radioactive material from these convoys yet they have assessed the risk from incidents such as flooding and explosions at industrial sites. This a huge and critical gap in our emergency planning, and it's essential we see action to rebuild public trust.
"The use of nuclear weapons is of course abhorrent but until we can rid Scotland of these weapons of mass destruction, we must at least be open about the risks to our communities. The Scottish Government, which is responsible for community safety and emergency planning, must urgently lead a review of the situation and make its findings public."
Nukewatch report:
http://www.nukewatch.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/UnreadyScotland-Report.pdf