Navy

Old Nuclear Subs 'Won't Be Fully Disposed Of For 25 Years'

Britain's decommissioned nuclear submarines will be sitting in two UK ports for years to come, officials have admitted.

A shortage of money and skills means a site for permanently storing the nuclear reactors in the derelict subs won't go online until 2040, according to the Telegraph newspaper.

19 old nuclear-powered submarines are currently waiting to be dismantled at Devonport, near Plymouth, and at Rosyth, on the Firth of Forth.

Eight more will join them in the coming years after leaving service, meanwhile. In a statement on the matter, the MoD has said:

"As a responsible nuclear operator, the MOD has a safe, secure and environmentally sound programme to dismantle submarines when they come to the end of their life, and continues to invest in the maintenance of the skills and facilities necessary".

It's a similar position to that expressed in 2015 when it was revealed that storing and maintaining the 19 current laid-up nuclear submarines had cost taxpayers more than £16m over the previous five years.