World's most deadly viruses to be held at new lab in Surrey
Cutting-edge laboratories to hold and study the world's most deadly diseases are to be built in Surrey.
Fatal and incurable viruses will be researched at a new facility in Weybridge to help prevent future pandemics and also to prepare for a potential terror attack with a biological weapon.
The new National Biosecurity Centre will have the highest classification of lab biosecurity to analyse the most dangerous diseases, known as biosafety level four pathogens, which include Ebola.
This upgrade in biosecurity at Weybridge puts it on equivalent footing to the UK Healthy Security Agency (UKHSA) base at Porton Down, but on a much bigger scale, as it will test and study infected farm animals, not just rodents.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) on Monday announced £1 billion of taxpayer money to fund the centre, as part of a £2.8 billion overhaul of the Government's marquee animal disease site.
The level four labs will allow staff to safely handle deadly diseases by working in self-contained suits with a dedicated air supply, air locks upon entry and exit, negative air pressure, airtight facilities, and chemical disinfection showers.
Scientists will use the new facilities, due to open in 2033, to prevent outbreaks of disease.
This includes known pathogens, but also as yet unknown future outbreaks such as 'Disease X', a hypothetical pathogen that will cause the next pandemic, officials say.
Environment Secretary Steve Reed told The Telegraph: 'Covid happened once and it can happen again, so we need to invest in the world-class facilities we need to keep not just the economy safe, but the people in this country safe.
'This will be one of only five or six facilities in the world up to this standard. Somebody described this national biosecurity centre to me as being the MI5 of animal and plant disease.'
It will also allow the centre to lead on anti-bioterrorism work to ensure that diseases of plants or animals are not weaponised against Britain.
The National Biosecurity Centre will work alongside scientists at the MoD's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory and the UKHSA facilities at Porton Down.
This three-pronged network will form the backbone of the tranche of the UK's National Security Strategy against biological agents, both zoonotic and from hostile states.
Around 60 per cent of all diseases are zoonotic and spread to humans via animals.
Mr Reed said: 'In the same way pathogens can be used against humans, they can be used against the plants and animals we depend on for food.
'This site will be part of a network of facilities we need to strengthen national security. This is where bioweapon work will be researched and tackled so that we can recognise it, should it happen, and then have the means to combat it.'
The Weybridge site is the main research centre of the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and has been criticised for being in poor condition.
Scientists at these labs lead the response to bird flu, foot-and-mouth disease, and bluetongue. It is also where swabs from the recent rabies fatality were tested.
Mr Reed added: 'The money is so desperately needed. You can see just from looking around that these are very old facilities – some remind me of my old science lab at school.
'It shouldn't look like that, it should be a world-class facility. It has world-class people working in it, but the buildings and the tools are not up to the standard they need to be. The previous Government let them become close to obsolete.
'This investment is desperately needed now to protect food production, farming and the economy as well as human beings.'
A 2022 National Audit Office report found the site to be in shoddy shape, with it having the highest possible risk of failure possible, and warned it would be unable to cope with a serious outbreak.
Dr Jenny Stewart, APHA Senior Science Director, told The Telegraph: 'The new centre will add some new capabilities that will let us deal with diseases that we can't currently deal with on this site, and allow us to do research.
'That will mean that we're ready for the next thing that comes. We have a thing called 'Pathogen X', or 'Disease X', and at this site we can be ready for whatever that might be.
'The step change is that we're going to have a higher level of containment on the site that lets us deal with more dangerous diseases than we currently manage on this site.
'We keep saying we are a Reliant Robin, and we are getting a spacecraft.'
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