Category A nuclear incident reported at Faslane naval base this year, MoD confirms
The MoD said it is unable to release further detail about the event for security reasons, but stressed it posed 'no risk to the public and did not result in any radiological impact to the environment'.
Defence Secretary John Healey described it as being of 'low safety significance'.
Officially known as HMNB Clyde, Faslane in Argyll and Bute is home to the Royal Navy's flotilla of nuclear submarines.
Figures made public through a response to a written parliamentary question in May show the incident was one of 28 'nuclear site events' recorded at the facility between January 1 and April 22, 2025.
Of the other 27 incidents, two were graded category B, seven as category C, 13 as category D and 5 as 'below scale'.
Last year there were 119 incidents recorded at the base.
Defence Secretary John Healey said the incident had been of 'low safety significance' (Robbie Stephenson/PA)
In her written answer, UK defence procurement minister Maria Eagle said nuclear site event reports were raised to 'foster a robust safety culture that learns from experience, whether that is of equipment failures, human error, procedural failings, documentation shortcomings or near-misses'.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: 'We place the upmost importance on handling radioactive substances safely and securely.
'Nuclear site event reports demonstrate our robust safety culture and commitment to learn from experience.
'The incidents posed no risk to the public and did not result in any radiological impact to the environment. It is factually incorrect to suggest otherwise.
'Our Government backs our nuclear deterrent as the ultimate guarantor of our national security.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
14 hours ago
- The National
Preserving Gaelic will require gargantuan effort
Founded in 1973 and based in the gorgeous Sleat peninsula on the Isle of Skye, it is an academic partner of the University of the Highlands and Islands and the world's only full-immersion Gaelic tertiary education institution. I was there for a short course – my second year in a row at the college – to improve my Gaelic. This year I was studying at level four after completing the level three course last summer. Roughly equivalent to the content of a Gaelic National 5 qualification, the level four course was perfect for me to work on my grammar, expand my vocabulary and most importantly build my confidence in speaking the language that once was dominant across so much of Scotland. In just the space of five days, I went from speaking in broken sentences and trying desperately to recall words I'd learnt months ago on Duolingo, to being able to converse much more confidently with fellow learners about our experiences on the course, our likes and dislikes, and our plans for the future. READ MORE: Call for MoD to investigate serious nuclear incident at Faslane naval base I get asked a lot why I chose to learn Gaelic. I live in Glasgow where there are a number of languages spoken with a far higher prevalence than Gaelic, and in the grand scheme of things there are a great many languages that I might be more likely to use throughout life. But I think there's something incredibly important – particularly to me as someone who has chosen to make Scotland my home after growing up in England – about learning the language of the country I call home. The simple fact is that it took a concerted effort, through the Highland Clearances and horrendous policy-making over the centuries, to try to kill the language – it will take a similarly concerted effort to support it to survive. My teacher on my short course at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig shared with my class a quote from 19th-century scholar John Stuart Blackie who, refuting the notion that Gaelic culture and language were ostensibly dead, replied that they were rather 'obstinately alive'. THIS remains true today – though perhaps in a slightly different way. Census data from 2022 shows the number of speakers in traditionally Gaelic-speaking communities in the Highlands and Islands continuing to fall, but the number is rising substantially in places like Glasgow. Next year, Glasgow will open its fourth Gaelic-medium education (GME) school in the city with a new Gaelic primary school opening in the Calton, and it's clear that the positive measures in the recently passed Scottish Languages Act 2025 to support GME will help more and more young people across Scotland learn Gaelic throughout childhood. All of this said though, it's quite clear that the support required to keep the language known by learners like me in places like Glasgow is quite different to the support needed to support Gaelic as a living language in the Highlands and Islands. This is one of the many reasons why Sabhal Mòr Ostaig is such an important institution. While it has an important role in teaching the language to new learners such as myself and countless others from across Scotland and around the world, it also plays a vital part in training Gaelic teachers, educating the Gaelic media industry, and vital research into the revitalisation of minority languages. Sabhal Mòr Ostaig is critical to keeping Gaelic alive, but clearly other support is needed in local communities to prevent further decline of the language. One such example where support is greatly needed is in tackling the housing crisis, which is often cited as one of the biggest threats to the language, particularly in tourist hotspots such as Skye and the Outer Hebrides. Simply put, the prevalence of holiday homes and Airbnb-style short-term lets in these Gaelic-speaking areas are driving house prices and rents sky-high. This is making it impossible for Gaelic-speaking young people to remain in their communities, driving them out and forcing them to live in places where they can't use the language in their everyday interactions. Homes once occupied by members of the community now sit empty outwith tourist season, presenting not only a challenge for the local economies of these often island communities, but also an existential threat for Gaelic as a living language. It'a not an unsolvable problem though. An amendment to the Housing (Scotland) Bill by Green MSP Ross Greer will be debated this autumn, and would allow an additional levy to be charged to those buying holiday homes or other additional properties in areas where Gaelic is widely spoken. It would make it harder for the rich to buy houses for profit, and making it easier for locals to buy homes to live in. While this needs to be just one part of a wider plan to support Gaelic to not just survive but thrive as a living language, it's a clear opportunity for MSPs to take meaningful action to support the language and culture of these island communities. It's clear that politicians of all parties need to do more to listen to the needs of Gaelic communities and take the actions needed to help the language thrive. The recently passed Scottish Languages Act gives Gaelic and Scots 'official status' as languages for the first time, but tangible action needs to back up this otherwise largely symbolic move. For so many Scots, Gaelic may seem little more than something they see on road signs and at train stations, but the fact is it's a vital part of our culture and the history of our land. My time at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig taught me so much – not just about grammar and vocabulary but about culture and music, history and tradition. It's a hugely special place, and I can't wait to go back. It runs short courses every year for learners of all abilities, and I simply can't recommend them enough to anyone wanting to connect with the Gaelic language.
ITV News
2 days ago
- ITV News
Appeal for cards to mark Southend Royal Navy veteran's 100th birthday
A branch of the Royal Naval Association is appealing for well-wishers to send 100th birthday cards to a Second World War veteran who served in the Arctic Convoys to make his surprise celebration extra Shelley, who joined the Royal Navy aged 17, served as a seaman gunner and said earlier this year: 'There's not many of us left.'The sailor, of Southend in Essex, was on a ship in Hong Kong when news came through of Germany's surrender, and said in a previous interview that it 'couldn't have been better'.'The war killed so many people it's unbelievable,' he said. 'All around, the Americans, Russians, all the Allies, the same with the Germans.'But you were doing a job, the same as they had to. It's either kill or be killed.'When we heard about victory in Europe, everybody got together and we all had a good old drink up and jolly up, and couldn't welcome it much better.'Mr Shelley, who has no known surviving family, will turn 100 on September Hawes, chairman of the Southend branch of the Royal Naval Association, is appealing for people to send birthday cards for Mr Shelley, which will be collated at the local branch and shown to him at a party on the day. The 76-year-old said Mr Shelley was the branch's 'last Arctic convoy veteran and also he was at D-Day'.Mr Shelley's carer Paul Bennett said Mr Shelley was on the HMS Milne on D-Day 'supporting the chaps going off to land in craft ashore in Normandy and he was a gunner keeping the skies clear of enemy aircraft'.Mr Hawes said the veteran had previously been the local branch's chairman, secretary and treasurer but 'as he got older he had to stop some of those jobs'.'He's always been there, he's always got a smile, he always wants to chat,' he said.'He really deserves something, he has been one of our founder members way back in 1980 I think it was when the actual club opened.'He's always been with us on the Remembrance Sunday in his wheelchair and somebody's pushed him up to the cenotaph at Southend.'He is hoping to collate at least 100 birthday cards for Mr Shelley.'I think he's going to thoroughly enjoy it, he really will, he'll be over the moon,' said Mr Hawes.'Dougie always likes to let everybody know he's there and this will blow his socks off I think.'Mr Hawes, who was a chef and baker on the aircraft carrier HMS Eagle, is to make Mr Shelley's birthday cake – a Victoria said Mr Shelley 'does like his tot of rum' and that this would be offered to guests, with a bottle of Pusser's Rum presented to the Hawes asked for birthday cards for Mr Shelley to be sent to the Royal Naval Association club, 73-79 East Street, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, SS2 6LQ.
BBC News
2 days ago
- BBC News
Birthday cards appeal for Southend navy veteran turning 100
An appeal for people to send 100th birthday cards to a World War Two veteran has been issued in a bid to make his big day extra special. Dougie Shelley joined the Royal Navy at the age of 17, serving as a seaman gunner, and said earlier this year: "There is not many of us left."The sailor, from Southend-on-Sea, was on a ship in Hong Kong when the news of Germany's surrender filtered through."When we heard about Victory in Europe, everybody got together, and we all had a good old drink up and jolly up," he said. The Southend branch of the Royal Naval Association has issued the appeal for Mr Shelley, who will turn 100 on 23 John Hawes, 76, said Mr Shelley was the branch's "last Arctic convoy veteran, and also he was at D-Day".Mr Hawes, who was a chef and a baker on aircraft carrier HMS Eagle, will make Mr Shelley's birthday cake – a Victoria sandwich. Paul Bennett, Mr Shelley's carer, said he was on HMS Milne on D-Day "supporting the chaps going off to land in craft ashore in Normandy, and he was a gunner keeping the skies clear of enemy aircraft".Mr Shelley said: "The war killed so many people, it's unbelievable... the Americans, Russians, all the Allies, the same with the Germans."But you were doing a job, the same as they had to. It's either kill or be killed."Mr Hawes said the aim was to collect at least 100 cards, which will be shown to Mr Shelley on his birthday, and he asked for them to be sent to the Royal Naval Association at 73-79 East Street, Southend SS2 6LQ. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
