A military convoy transporting nuclear warheads left its base near Reading, Berkshire under cover of dark at 10.10pm on Thursday 6th May. This breaks with the long held practice of running these convoys in daylight for safety reasons. The change to “continuous running” is part of a new MoD regime that sees the warhead convoy making a quick dash up the country without stopping overnight, with only short breaks at military bases en route before reaching its destination in Scotland.
The convoy was tracked through the night by Nukewatch, from the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Burghfield, where nuclear warheads are assembled, to RAF Leeming where it took a break to change crews. It then continued to Coulport in Scotland, where the warheads are stored before loading onto the Royal Navy’s Trident submarines. A relay of Nukewatchers monitored the convoy along the M4, M25, A1M…………………
The convoy had been ready to go, waiting in Burghfield since Wednesday. It is thought the conclusion of the general election on Thursday was not a good enough trigger to authorise the convoy to go out on the roads. The appointment of a new Prime Minister, technically the person in charge of Britain’s nuclear weapons, seems to have been required.
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