Call for expansion of Royal Navy surveillance after Kremlin spy devices found

HMS Vanguard is thought to be a target for Russian surveillance efforts. The vessel is one of the Royal Navy’s four nuclear-armed submarines. Photograph: PA

Britain is “behind the curve” in tracking Russia’s deep-sea operations, an ex-minister has said, after spy sensors targeting Royal Navy submarines were found in waters around the UK.

Tobias Ellwood, a former defence and Foreign Office minister, called for a huge expansion of the navy’s surveillance capability after it was revealed that a number of Kremlin spy devices had been seized by the military.