The Ferret
The Scottish Government’s green watchdog has been urging the Royal Navy to remove potentially radioactive waste from the UK nuclear bomb base on the Clyde to reduce the risk of leaks and pollution, according to official files released to The Ferret.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has told the Royal Naval Armaments Depot at Coulport on Loch Long twice in the last year to get rid of a backlog of “substantial quantities” of waste “as soon as possible”.
The Ferret reported in August that Loch Long was polluted in 2019 after floodwater was contaminated by radioactive waste at the site. We can also now reveal there was an incident in 2017 at Coulport when a waste handling agreement was breached, causing the Royal Navy to conduct a major review of procedures.
In May 2025 we disclosed there had been 12 incidents that could have leaked radioactivity at the nearby Faslane nuclear submarine base on the Gareloch since 2023. They included one event in the first four months of 2025 that was given the navy’s worst risk rating.
THE FULL, EXCLUSIVE STORY IS IN THE CURRENT ISSUE OF THE FERRET INVESTIGATIVE JOURNAL.