A convoy of 20 or more vehicles transporting nuclear warheads between Royal Navy’s armaments depot at Coulport on Loch Long in Argyll and Bute and the Burghfield nuclear weapons factory in Berkshire passed around Penrith earlier today. The convoy travelled along the M6 to junction 40 were the convoy joined the A66 heading east towards Scotch corner.
Escorted by armed police who are part of the Special Escort Group (SEG) a specialised unit of the Ministry of Defence Police that is primarily responsible for the movement of all nuclear weapons and Defence Special Nuclear Material within the United Kingdom.
As the convoy travelled South on Wednesday afternoon Vehicles on the M6 were held behind a rolling roadblock between Carlisle and Southwaite preventing vehicles from passing the convoy as it travelled through roadworks along the stretch of motorway.
At junction 40 and Kemplay police held traffic until the nuclear convoy had passed along the section of A66 around Penrith heading East..
The MOD nuclear convoy makes the journey between Coulport and Burghfield nuclear weapons factory at least six times a year as the warheads transported by the convoy require regular maintenance.
In 2023 the MoD released short summary logs of 40 incidents involving the convoys since 2019 with no specific dates or locations given of the incidents on security grounds.
Of the 40 incidents, 22 are categorised as “operational” and 18 as “engineering”. The incidents involved two crashes one involving a convoy vehicle that caused “minor injuries” and a delay of two hours and 45 minutes to the convoy. The other was attended by the police and caused a 32-minute delay.
Other incidents the convoys have suffered include multiple brake faults, breakdowns and power losses.
The convoy has also caused the closure of roads or motorway lanes 11 times and been delayed by lorry fires, and a spillage In one incident a convoy had to deal with an “erratic driver interfering with the convoy”.
A campaign group which monitors the nuclear convoys, has said that most people weren’t aware that warheads are regularly transported by road. “Safety lapses relating to nuclear weapons are always concerning, and people will be surprised that these incidents are so common,”
The Ministry of Defence has said: “All convoy operations follow strict and safe procedures”.
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