Update on situation at Coulport’s nuclear warhead servicing facility at AWE Burghfield

We have been drawing attention to the serious safety situation at Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) Burghfield in Berkshire which is responsible for servicing nuclear warheads stored at Coulport on Argyll’s Rosneath peninsula. This ‘servicing’ involves taking the warheads apart and re-assembling them. Burghfield has been shut down since last year by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate for failing for several years to address around one thousand listed safety issues. We are now informed by the Nuclear Information Service (NIS) that “AWE Burghfield is functioning on a ‘permissioning regime’ whereby AWE plc apply to the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) to do a specific assembly – or disassembly – task EVERY time they want to do warhead work. Previously, they could do it when they liked so long as safety regulations were met. The NIS expect a planning application to renew the below standard ‘Gravel Gerties’ in the autumn”.

These ‘Gravel Gerties’ are the main focus of safety concerns. They are effectively a deep layer of gravel roofing over underground circular cells where the assembly and dissassembly takes place. The theory is that if somegtign goes wrong on the process and the warhead explodes, the roof will cave in at once, dumping the gravel load to absorb the radiation particles and reduce their penetration of the atmosphere.

With AWE Burghfield closed for a considerable time, Coulport was forced to stockpile warheads on site that would normally have gone for servicing after they are removed from submarines returning to Faslane after patrol.