Royal Navy alerts residents in 'routine' nuclear radiation exercise
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- Category: Seguridad marítima
- Published on Friday, 19 June 2026 05:55
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The exercise involved residents around the Devonport Royal Dockyard where nuclear submarines are berthed
Carl Eve Regional Crime/Live Reporter
14:51, 18 Jun 2026
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Two decommissioned nuclear submarines, Conqueror and Courageous at Devonport Naval Dockyard
Residents living in the vicinity of the Royal Navy base in Devonport were alerted to an exercise on Wednesday [June 17] by means of a letter drop which represented iodine tablets - in case there's a nuclear incident at the site.
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The routine exercise tests how agencies - such as Plymouth City Council and the Royal Navy - would go about notifying the public about safety measures it would need to take in the unlikely event of a radiation emergency at the Devonport Royal Dockyard.
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HMNB Devonport, as well as being the country's largest naval base, is also the sole licensed facility in the country authorised to refuel, refit and defuel nuclear-powered submarines. It is also a major storage site for decommissioned Royal Navy nuclear submarines.
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The exercise tests the public emergency notification system which would alert residents about an incident through a text message or email.
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A similar alert for residents living near the Cattedown fuel depot site was also tested on the same day.
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Aerial images show the decommissioned nuclear submarines laid up at Devonport in 2018(Image: Google)
However, in both cases the recipients of the messages were told they did not need to take any action.
One resident contacted Plymouth Live to say they got a card through their letterbox from the council saying it was working with the naval base as it was "testing parts of its off-site emergency plan"
The message stated that the cards were being sent out to premises within certain areas and "represents the distribution of Stable Iodine Tablets (SITs) which would be required in the unlikely event of a radiation emergency."
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Anyone wanting to sign up to receive the emergency alerts can do so on Plymouth City Council’s website.
A spokesperson for Plymouth City Council said: "The alerts are one of the methods of notifying the public set out in the Devonport Off-site Emergency Plan (DOSEP). The plan details how the MoD, Babcock International Group (Babcock), emergency services, Plymouth City Council, UK Health Security Agency and other responding agencies, would work together to protect the public in the event of a radiation incident at the site, which supports nuclear powered submarines for the Royal Navy.
"Another of the public protection measures set out in DOSEP is the issue of stable iodine tablets (SITs) to households in areas downwind of an incident. The tablets help protect the thyroid from harmful effects of radioactive iodine.
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"The exercise on 17 June involved personnel simulating the distribution of tablets to some households by posting a leaflet through doors. Residents receiving the leaflet did not need to take any action.
"These measures are focused on the areas included in a Detailed Emergency Planning Zone, which extends 1.5km from the submarine berths.
"Residents living in the zone – which also includes a small area of Torpoint and Wilcove in South East Cornwall – receive a booklet about what to do in the event of a radiation emergency. An updated edition of the booklet will be distributed to households in the Detailed Emergency Planning Zone over the next few weeks."
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