TERRIFIED villagers living in the shadow of Britain’s top-secret nuclear weapons site say they feel like “sitting ducks”.
Residents in the sleepy village of Aldermaston, Berkshire, have spoken of their fear after hearing “mysterious explosions” from the neighbouring nuclear weapons facility AWE.
Jon BondThe state-owned site has agreed to launch a new emergency text alert system[/caption]
Jon BondResidents in Aldermaston have spoken of their fear after hearing ‘mysterious explosions’[/caption]
Jon BondLocals say their village would be targeted in the event of a nuclear or terrorist attack[/caption]
Living next to the Automatic Weapons Establishment – where the UK’s most powerful bombs are designed – feels like being “on the front line”, according to locals.
They say their village would be targeted in the event of a nuclear or terrorist attack and have called on the Ministry of Defence to provide them with greater protection.
The Sun can exclusively reveal that the state-owned site has agreed to launch a new emergency text alert system after mounting pressure from panicked neighbours.
It comes after years of “mystery explosions”, blaring sirens, and rumours of hazardous experiments behind the razor-wire fences – just yards from family homes.
Business owner Kerry Thomas was one of the first to sign up to the text service that is due to come into operation in the next fortnight.
The 45-year-old told The Sun: ”Everyone in the village was sent a letter by AWE telling us they wanted to share more communications with locals residents about what was going on at the site.
“We were invited to join a text service and the plan is that they will keep us posted about anything that is going on there, such as any planned security drills, or unusual events in and around the complex.
“I think it is a great idea because it will stop people worrying or speculating every time they hear the sirens going off.
“To be fair to AWE, they do seem to want to engage with the local community.
“I know they donate money for public events here in the village and they have hosted regular village hero award ceremonies.
“They have always worked with the village, rather than against it.”
Kerry admitted the growing global tensions and hostilities raging in the Middle East has made her nervous about hostile forces targeting her home town.
She said: “Sure, we are right in the firing line here, but you have got to carry on living your life as best you can.
“It was the same when the West was bombing Iraq years ago.
“There was a heightened risk of attack here, but we tried to go out about our lives as normal.
“Despite the extra risk associated with living somewhere like here, it’s still a wonderful place to live.”
Kerry continued: “I have lived with what goes on here all my life, so it’s all I know really.
“You grow up knowing that if there is ever a nuclear war, we will be among the first to be hit.
“We are in the middle of such beautiful countryside, yet really close to Reading and London.
“I wouldn’t live anywhere else.”
She said she understands the need to invest extra billions in our defence capabilities and believes it is “money well spent”.
She added: “The UK has to keep up-to-date with modern nuclear technology.
Jon BondBusiness owner Kerry Thomas was one of the first to sign up to the text service[/caption]
Jon BondThe picturesque town sits just minutes away from the nuclear weapons facility[/caption]
Jon BondResidents often hear blaring sirens behind the razor-wire fences[/caption]
“The way the world is now, it is simply a necessary evil.
“We have to be well equipped with the best nuclear weapons in order to protect ourselves.
“I wish it wasn’t necessary, but in reality it is.
“I try not to worry about it anymore and despite what people say about living next to a nuclear site, none of us here glow in the dark.”
The government’s recently-announced £15bn replacement for Britain’s nuclear arsenal is being designed at the site.
Earlier this month, Labour’s John Healey became the first defence secretary to visit the AWE site since 2018.
He told how Labour was making a generational decision to support expensive weapons that he hoped would protect the UK.
He said: “We’ve got a government recognising that we need to invest now if we’re going to be able to maintain our strength of our independent UK nuclear deterrence in the decades to come.
Labour’s previous leader, Jeremy Corbyn, was heavily opposed to nuclear weapons.
Operations have begun to scale up at Aldermaston with the initial phases of work on the new warhead under way.
About 1,500 employees have joined AWE in the past year, bringing the total number of workers at the state-owned company to 9,500.
Building surveyor Chris Robinson, 65, suggested that the text notifications did not go far enough to safeguard locals.
Jon BondLocals have called on the Ministry of Defence to provide them with greater protection[/caption]
Jon BondAbout 1,500 employees have joined AWE in the past year, bringing the total to almost 10,000[/caption]
Jon BondChris Robinson called for the installation of an Israeli style defence shield like the Iron Dome[/caption]
He called for the installation of an Israeli style defence shield like the Iron Dome at the 750-acre facility.
He said: “I recognise that we need to have a strong nuclear capability because that is the only thing that is going to ensure world peace.
“The existence of the concept of mutually assured destruction is ironically what keeps us all safe.
“But I would like to see some kind of Iron Dome-style protection for the area because at the moment it feels like we are sitting ducks.
“The AWE site would be a prime target for terrorists and we need to be better protected here.”
He recalled the recent break in at RAF Brize Norton by Palestine Action yobs in the neighbouring county of Oxfordshire as he called for greater measures to be put in place.
Chris added: “You only have to look at the break-in down the road last week to see how easy it is for someone who is determined enough to get into these complexes.
“Can you imagine the damage someone could do if they were to get inside the base at AWE with explosives strapped around them?
“I worry that idiotic leaders like Donald Trump are making the world a less and less safe place.
“That kind of reinforces the need for all countries to have the best nuclear bombs because that international nuclear deterrent is what keeps us all safe in the end.
“I’ve never been inside the base but I hate the look of it from the outside.
“It has lots of very ugly buildings. It’s a shame they don’t screen it a bit better with trees.
Jon BondRegular practice drills often send the villagers into a frenzy[/caption]
Jon BondComponents for Britain’s nuclear warhead are designed, tested and built at Aldermaston[/caption]
Jon BondThe new nuclear device, called Astraea, will be designed at AWE[/caption]
“It does feel a bit weird that I’m living right next to a nuclear plant, but I guess it’s got to be somewhere.”
Components for Britain’s nuclear warhead – known as Holbrook – are designed, tested and built at Aldermaston.
The warheads themselves are largely assembled at the nearby Burghfield site, before being transported by road to Coulport, in Scotland.
The assembly process is completed there and the Trident missiles, with their British warheads, are loaded on to submarines at nearby Faslane.
Aimee Kirkpatrick, 20, who has lived in the village all her life, told how regular practice drills often send the villagers into a frenzy.
She explained: “Almost every week, sirens will go off at the base.
“It’s very scary for those of us who live here because we never know if it’s a practice drill or the real thing.
“If a nuclear bomb is ever going to be dropped on the UK, and I hope to God it never is, I’d much rather be right underneath it when it lands than die painfully over time from the fall-out.
“I accept we live somewhere that’s going to be a prime target, but my life is here so I don’t want to move away.”
Aimee, who works at a local pub while studying for a marketing degree, said many of her friends from school are now apprentices at AWE.
She said: “They love working there because the company is actually a really good employer.
“The pay is good and they’re learning interesting stuff.
Jon BondAimee Kirkpatrick said many of her friends from school are now apprentices at AWE[/caption]
Jon BondOperations have begun to scale up at Aldermaston with the initial phases of work on the new warhead under way[/caption]
Jon BondAstraea will not be ready for deployment until the 2030s or 2040s[/caption]
“One of them is involved in nuclear physics, which must be a pretty cool apprenticeship to be doing.”
The new nuclear device, called Astraea, will not be ready for deployment until the 2030s or 2040s.
It will be designed at Aldermaston, principally using small test explosions, which are then extrapolated by an onsite supercomputer to simulate a nuclear blast.
Its explosive power is not yet known, though independent experts think it will probably be more than the 80-100kt Holbrook, and possibly closer to 475kt, a benchmark set by the most powerful US warhead.
For comparison, the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, which killed between 70,000 and 140,000 people (estimates vary widely), was 15kt.
Jon BondJohn Healey became the first defence secretary to visit the AWE site since 2018[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
