Rolls-Royce fined £200,000 after workers exposed to radiation
The company that builds nuclear reactors which power the Royal Navy's fleet of submarines has been fined £200,000 for breaches of safety and environmental laws following an incident in which members of staff were exposed to radiation. Read more.
Ministry of Defence uses trucks which should have been scrapped five years ago to transport nuclear materials
Cargoes of highly radioactive military nuclear materials are being transported along British roads in ageing Ministry of Defence (MoD) trucks which are regularly experiencing breakdowns and safety shortfalls because of delays in arranging for new vehicles to take over their duties. Read more.
Environment Agency raps Atomic Weapons Establishment over radioactive waste management staff shortages
The factory that manufactures the UK's nuclear weapons has been rapped by a government regulatory agency for the second time this year for failings in radioactive waste management arrangements. Read more.
'Stop work' notice issued following safety concerns during refit work on nuclear powered submarine HMS Trenchant at Devonport dockyard
Concerns about emergency response arrangements resulted in a 'stop work' notice being issued for refit work on a nuclear powered submarine at Devonport naval dockyard earlier this year, according to a report published by the government's nuclear safety regulator. Read more.
Navy staff shortages leave one in ten submarine crew posts unfilled
New figures released by the government reveal that more than one in ten posts are vacant across the Royal Navy's nuclear powered submarine fleet, raising concerns about risks to safety. Read more.
Consultation to commence on storage sites for submarine radioactive wastes
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is set to begin public consultation this autumn to identify a location for the storage of radioactive waste from the Royal Navy's out-of-service nuclear submarines. Read more.
USA consolidates its influence over UK warhead programme with appointment of new AWE Director
AWE plc, the company which runs the Atomic Weapons Establishment, has announced that its new Managing Director is to be Kevin Bilger – an American citizen from the USA's Lockheed Martin Corporation, one of the three parent companies which comprise the AWE consortium. Read more.
Environment Agency probes AWE on future of the Pangbourne Pipeline
The Environment Agency has met with the Atomic Weapons Establishment to discuss decommissioning of the Pangbourne Pipeline, formerly used for the disposal of radioactive effluent from the AWE Aldermaston site. Read more.
UK military expenditure set to fall below NATO target of two per cent
A new study by the Royal United Services Institute indicates that Britain's defence spending will for the first time fall below a NATO target of 2 per cent of GDP in 2015 – at the same time that the government is urging other European nations to meet the target. Read more.