50 signatures reached
To: Cumbria County Council
Review preparations for dealing with a nuclear convoy accident in Cumbria
Conduct an honest and open review into how the civil authorities would respond to a nuclear weapons transport accident on a road in Cumbria, including a review of what risk assessments are made and how these have been communicated to the public.
Why is this important?
Nuclear warheads are regularly transported in convoys on public roads to and from the atomic weapon factories at Aldermaston and Burghfield, and RNAD Coulport on Loch Long, where the weapons are stored and loaded onto Trident submarines. A nuclear warhead contains radioactive material and high explosive and this poses serious questions about public safety.
The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 requires Category 1 Responders (including Local Authorities) to conduct a risk assessment of potential threats and to keep the public informed. According to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) document, Local Authority and Emergency Services Information (LAESI) Edition 10, if there was a serious accident the MoD would look after the nuclear weapon, but Local Authorities, Emergency Services and the Health Service would be responsible for potentially contaminated casualties, evacuating people nearby and advising many more to stay indoors. We want Cumbria County Council to openly review how prepared the civil authorities are and inform the public about their findings. Then the people of Cumbria can decide whether this transport poses an unacceptable risk.
