Radioactive water from a UK naval base storing nuclear warheads leaked multiple times into a popular Scottish loch due to aging infrastructure and inadequate maintenance, according to newly released documents. Scotland’s environmental regulator found that the Royal Naval Armaments Depot at Coulport, which manages warheads for the Royal Navy’s Trident submarines, allowed contaminated water to enter Loch Long in 2010, 2019, and 2021 amid failing pipes and maintenance lapses.
Files published by The Ferret, an investigative platform, and obtained through a six-year freedom of information battle, reveal half of the site’s 1,500 water pipes had exceeded their operational lifespan during the leaks. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) attributed the incidents to “shortfalls in maintenance,” which caused bursts releasing low levels of tritium—a radioactive isotope used in nuclear weapons—into the loch. While the agency emphasized that tritium concentrations posed no public health risk, it acknowledged prolonged exposure to higher doses could increase cancer risks.
One August 2019 incident saw flooding in a warhead processing area, allowing contaminated water to drain into the waterway frequented by swimmers, divers, and fishers. Despite the UK Ministry of Defence pledging in 2020 to upgrade infrastructure, SEPA noted slow progress and ongoing asset management failures, with two additional pipe bursts occurring in 2021, including one near another radioactive storage zone. A 2022 inspection further flagged concerns over maintenance gaps contributing to “unnecessary radioactive waste.”
Scottish Information Commissioner David Hamilton ruled in June that documents detailing the leaks must be disclosed, dismissing military arguments that secrecy was vital for national security. He asserted the primary risk lay in reputational damage rather than safety compromises. The files’ release underscores tensions between transparency and institutional accountability in nuclear infrastructure management.
The revelations follow a May report by The Ferret detailing 12 nuclear-related incidents since 2023 at Faslane, a nearby submarine base, where radioactive materials may have been released. While neither site’s events breached public safety thresholds, SEPA’s findings highlight systemic challenges in maintaining aging nuclear facilities critical to Britain’s defense infrastructure. The repeated leaks and delayed repairs raise questions about long-term environmental oversight as the UK modernizes its nuclear arsenal.
