Concerns over storage of explosives

Liam Fox has been urged to act over a leaked report on the safety of stored explosives
12 April 2012

There is an "overall sense of unease" about the safety of ammunition and explosives stored by British troops in Afghanistan, a leaked internal Ministry of Defence (MoD) report has warned.

It also raised concerns over their storage across MoD sites, warning of the potential for "significant vulnerability".

The Defence Environment and Safety Board (DESB) said the condition of the explosives estate remained a "primary concern".

And it suggested financial pressures were leading to resources being "spread very thinly and even diminishing".

The DESB also raised "concerns over the adequacy of resource available to deliver and regulate the defence nuclear programmes safely".

Its internal report said: "The condition of the explosives estate remains a primary concern for the Board, with the potential for significant vulnerability. The consequences of an explosive incident could have a significant impact on capability, and the potential off-site (public domain) consequences could have serious implications for the department."

The DESB went on to highlight a separate report by the Defence Ordnance Safety Board (DOSB) which reported: "An overall sense of unease on the safety of deployed ordnance munitions and explosives, particularly in Afghanistan."

The SNP, which obtained the report, called on Defence Secretary Liam Fox to provide urgent assurances over the safety of the explosives estate.

The party's Westminster leader and defence spokesman Angus Robertson said: "This report is deeply disturbing, and we must have immediate assurances that the safety of the public and our troops is not being compromised.

"It is clear that the MoD has been aware of the problem for some time and the Defence Secretary must now make this a priority. The previous government cut jobs at defence munitions centres, and this safety report suggests that weapons storage has been run down to a dangerous level."

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