Radioactive Water Leaks from UK Nuclear Depot
(MENAFN) Radioactive water from the UK’s Coulport weapons facility seeped into Loch Long in western Scotland multiple times after old pipes ruptured, according to documents from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) disclosed by an investigative journalism outlet.
The Royal Naval Armaments Depot at Coulport is responsible for storing nuclear warheads used by the British Royal Navy’s Trident-class submarines.
SEPA reported that nearly half of the depot’s 1,500 water pipes had exceeded their intended lifespan when the leaks occurred.
The agency attributed the flooding, which released low concentrations of tritium—a radioactive material utilized in warheads—into the loch, to “shortfalls in maintenance.” Loch Long is a favored spot for swimmers, divers, kayakers, and anglers.
While small amounts of tritium are usually considered safe, prolonged or significant exposure can increase cancer risk.
The records reveal pipe bursts in 2010 and two separate incidents in 2019.
In August 2019, flooding occurred in a warhead processing zone, causing contaminated water to spill through an uncovered drain directly into the loch.
SEPA emphasized that the tritium concentrations were very low and did not endanger public health.
In 2020, the UK Ministry of Defense committed to implementing measures to prevent further pipe failures.
However, SEPA later observed that progress was sluggish and that issues with asset management remained unresolved.
Two more pipe ruptures happened in 2021, including one in another section containing radioactive materials, which led to an additional SEPA inspection in 2022.
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