CLAIMS that a Trident nuclear weapons depot had to be closed due to a dangerous radiation breach have been denied by the Royal Navy.
It had previously been reported that HMNB Clyde staff had to evacuate the Royal Naval Armaments Depot Coulport where nuclear warheads are held.
The site at Coulport, on Loch Long in Argyll, stores nuclear weapons for the UK Trident programme based at Faslane.
Alba MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath Neale Hanvey questioned Defence Secretary Ben Wallace over the reports in the Commons.
He said: “A whistleblower has alleged that HMNB Clyde staff were recently moved from Building 201 at Coulport where warheads are managed to Building 41 elsewhere due to a serious radiation breach.
“Can the minister advise me of the following,
“How many such events have been registered in the past three years?
"How many such incidents have been reported to the public?
“And if not, can the minister please set out why the people of Scotland, who are overwhelmingly opposed to weapons of mass destruction, are ignored by the Westminster parties including his?”
Wallace responded by promising to get back to Hanvey with more details in due course.
He replied: “The honourable member has read out a list of claims, I’ll be happy to write to him to answer those claims.
“I suspect the people of Scotland now are rather thankful they have a nuclear deterrent in the face of a very provocative Putin.”
However, when contacted for comment, the Royal Navy claimed that no radiation breach had taken place.
A Royal Navy spokesperson said: “The alleged radiation incident referred to during defence orals did not occur.
"We have robust safety measures in place at all Ministry of Defence nuclear sites and we take safety incidents very seriously. Our nuclear programmes are subject to regular independent scrutiny and reviews.”
Commenting, David Mackenzie of the Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament said: “The only safe response is of course the complete removal of the weapons. The whole world is again waking up to the horrific nature of nuclear weapons and to the urgent need to eliminate them entirely.”
