Nuclear Submarine Refit Complex, Devonport Dockyard, Plymouth, UK

DIG

Plymouth nuclear Dump Information Group

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE CAMPAIGNING GROUP CALLED DIG HAS DISBANDED AND HAS BEEN SUPERSEDED BY A DEVONPORT BASED GROUP CALLED 'CANSAR'. THEY ARE CURRENTLY CAMPAIGNING AGAINST INCREASED RADIOACTIVE DISCHARGES, RADIOACTIVE WASTE AND SCRAPPED NUCLEAR SUBMARINES. CANSAR CAN BE REACHED BY E-MAILING [email protected] OR [email protected] FOR BACKGROUND AND INFORMATION PURPOSES, DIG HAVE LEFT THIS WEB SITE AVAILABLE, BUT NOT UPDATED.

...Latest :

Nuclear accident exercise Nov 99 'Short Sermon 99'
Reactor leak in British sub off Portugal
MoD admit 10 radiation leaks at Devonport
News report claims Trident to be refitted in USA - total denial by MoD exclusive to DIG
New ammo jetty plans publicised
N.sub tug skipper puts city at risk

Plymouth nuclear Dump Information Group (DIG) is a voluntary, non party political pressure group. Our aim is to research and inform on issues related to military radioactive wastes and materials in the City of Plymouth, Devon, UK. This includes the transportation of nuclear materials and wastes, the expansion and storage of radioactive materials and waste in the city including nuclear submarine spent fuel, worker and public protection in 'normal' and 'abnormal' (accident) conditions and the scrapping and storage of decommissioned nuclear powered submarines and reactors in the City of Plymouth. Plymouth has been earmarked to refit and service Trident (Vanguard Class) ballistic submarines which heralds a dramatic expansion of nuclear activities, operations, transportation and waste.

DIG wants to network, make links and exchange information with other military nuclear sites and submarine ports, particularly those in the USA, Russia, France and China.

Welcome to Plymouth in Devon, Britains only 'Nuclear City' and holiday centre!

Plymouth is the most 'nuclearised' city in Britain. No other city is host to several floating nuclear reactors, routinely moves radioactive wastes and nuclear fuel on it's roads and rail, is a graveyard for decommissioned reactors and discarded nuclear submarines, or stores radioactive wastes and highly irradiated spent fuel within it's highly populated urban boundaries.

Although monitoring of the air and water for radioactivity is sporadically undertaken, it can at best only historically indicate that a leak of radioactivity has not been detected up to the time of recording (samples can take months to fully analyse) and at worst may let you know (if time permits) that radiation is heading your way or tells you that a leak of radioactivity has previously occurred and that you may have already been irradiated or risk contamination. Monitoring does not stop radiation or prevent accidents occurring. Plans to mitigate the effects of a release of radioactivity have never been realistically tested in the city and have long been recognised as having more to do with 'public relations' than public protection.

A recent booklet on surviving a nuclear accident (PIRER), distributed by the Navy to a minority of households in Plymouth, has been met with confusion and derision. It tells people within a 2 km radius of the nuclear base to stay indoors, leave children at school, not to use telephones and await the distribution of Potassium Iodate Tablets or evacuation. People beyond the 2 km zone - most of the city, do not have to follow any of this advice (because there is non available) and will no doubt use the phone, collect their children and get the hell out of the city as quick as they can!

Plymouth nuclear Dump Information Group was formed in 1988 when the MoD planned to build a radioactive waste storage dump in the city next to schools and housing beneath the main London to Penzance railway line. That plan was defeated, but several years on and the nuclearisation of Plymouth remains set to overshadow it's environment for decades. Fearing a public inquiry the MoD relocated an even larger capacity waste dump beneath an existing one within the nuclear complex away from public gaze. Eventually all the nuclear facilities will have to be decommissioned, decontaminated and dismantled, a bleak and perilous legacy for our children and grand children.

DIG has been at the heart of the nuclear debate since 1988. Through our careful research and information gathering, we correctly predicted the scrapping of nuclear submarines and reactors in our city, we warned that radioactive waste would grow as Government policy on the disposal of radioactive materials continues to flounder, we foretold that the Ministry of Defence would turn the city into a convenient radioactive waste dump using threats of mass unemployment and poverty to secure their objectives and we have regularly highlighted confusion and contradiction on the radioactive waste issues which have blighted the city since the MoD found they could no longer use the ocean as a ready dustbin for their nuclear rubbish.

Whatever the nuclear future may hold for Plymouth, DIG recognises the grim reality that as a nuclear port we cannot escape facing an almost inevitable increase in radioactive materials, processes and wastes. The risks posed by these to public health and environmental safety is a challenge we must and will continue to confront.

We want to join with other nuclear sites, particularly those that host nuclear submarines. Through networking and the exchange of information with similar groups and individuals at those locations we hope to share experiences and knowledge to achieve greater safety for ourselves, our children and our environment now and for the future.

Radioactive Waste

Radioactive waste is routinely stored, handled and transported around the Submarine Refit Complex. Expansion is underway to store more plutonium contaminated spent fuel and intermediate level wastes. Currently, radioactive waste is being kept in the open under tarpaulins and in second-hand Magnox flasks. The nuclear licensed site is set to expand by five times in area, taking nuclear operations right up to the dockyard perimeter wall and main road through Devonport.

Transportation of Radioactive Materials

High level radioactive spent fuel is routinely transported through the city by rail. Fresh, highly enriched uranium fuel is delivered to the dockyard on the back of a lorry by the main holiday traffic route through the city. Intermediate level nuclear and chemically contaminated waste is stored and transported around the nuclear dockyard. Low level waste is taken by lorry through the city to Winfrith civil nuclear power station in Dorset for compaction before being sent to the British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL) shallow burial site at Drigg in Cumbria. Very low level waste is mixed with domestic refuse and dumped at the city waste tip.

Nuclear Accidents and Public Protection

Devonport has the densest urban population south west of Bristol. It has more schools than any other area in the Westcountry. A quarter of Plymouth's population of 250,000 residents live within 2 kilometres of the nuclear dockyard. There are more pregnant women and infants under 4 years of age in that area than any other part of the city. There is no natural or manmade barrier between the nuclear dockyard and the local community.

Decommissioned Nuclear Submarines

Four nuclear submarines have been scrapped at Plymouth so far. Conqueror, Courageous, Warspite and Valiant (picture). Warspite was scrapped at the end of a £100 million refit. Valiant limped into Plymouth Sound after developing reactor faults in the Atlantic. They are currently all stored afloat in number 3 Basin with their nuclear fuel removed but with their reactors and contaminated coolant intact.

Trident Refits and Nuclear Expansion

In 1993, Devonport Dockyard was awarded the contract to refit Trident (Vanguard Class) nuclear powered ballistic submarines. Devonport won the contract from Scottish sister refit port Rosyth by cutting back proposed refit facility construction costs in a tit-for-tat battle. Devonport eventually undercut Rosyth by £12 million and won the contract to refit Trident and all Britains nuclear submarine fleet at a stated construction price of £236 million. By 1994 the project was drastically altered to cut rising costs. But added safety measures together with more realistic costings imposed by government has reportedly raised the costs to £500 million - described by the then opposition Labour Party as "the biggest blunder in the history of the MoD".

LINKS

Scottish CND e.mail: [email protected]WWW site http://ds.dial.pipex.com/cndscot/ for further information on nuclear submarines at Faslane and Rosyth in Scotland, decommissioned subs., Coulport nuclear weapons store, campaigns, information etc.

Plymouth City Council "What to do in a Nuclear Emergency"

Green Events South Devon e.mail: [email protected] WWW site http://www.greenevents.com/ for local information on 'green' activities, healing, therapies, courses, green business, organisations and green events directory.

Nuclear Free Local Authorities (UK) National Steering Committe e.mail: [email protected] WWW site http://www.gn.org/nfznsc/ for information on informing and educating local authorities on nuclear issues (supported by over 100 local authorities in the UK). Legal services, policy guidance, research, press/media briefings, Parliamentary briefings, conferences and seminars, regular bulletins. "The NSC is convinced that nuclear weapons and energy systems present extraordinary and unacceptable risks to the planet and it's people. It works for a nuclear free future in practical ways within local government". NFLA

CND Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament national office 162 Holloway Road London N7 8DQ e.mail: [email protected] WWW site http://cnduk.org/cnd for information on latest campaigns, contacts, information on nuclear weapons resistance.

Network Information Project (NIP) e.mail: [email protected] details of nuclear warhead movements in UK. Also Nukewatch.

Abolition 2000 International global network campaigning for the elimination of all nuclear weapons by negotiation of a Nuclear Weapons Convention by the year 2000. e.mail UK contact: [email protected] WWW site http://www.gn.apc.org/npc/a2000.htm

"..do not panic there is no cause for alarm everything is normal.."

"..I repeat do not panic there is no cause for alarm .."