In May a broken-down armoured personnel carrier (APC) caused a nuclear weapon convoy to halt for 45 minutes on the hard shoulder of the M40 motorway. The convoy was travelling from AWE Burghfield to RNAD Coulport and included four nuclear warhead carriers. The convoy stopped at the junction of the A34 and M40, north of Oxford.
Police closed the slip road and the front vehicles, including the warhead carriers, stopped on the hard shoulder at the bottom of the slip road. Some of the rear vehicles stopped in a layby on the A34. The convoy was being monitored by volunteers from the Nukewatch network.
The broken down APC had to be turned around so that it could be attached to the tow truck that was travelling with the convoy. The convoy is thought to have stayed overnight at Halton Training Camp before travelling on to Coulport the following day.
The MoD was contacted by the Oxford Mail but said they do not comment on operational details of military convoys.
Further reading:
Oxford Mail: 'Nuclear weapons convoy' breaks down on M40
Birmingham Mail: Nuclear warhead convoy 'forced to stop on M40'
Nukewatch: Convoy breaks down on M40 – May 2017