Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) calls on Ministry of Defence and Suffolk County Council to clarify whether risk assessments over potential stationing of nuclear weapons at RAF Lakenheath have taken place

Campaigners have raised concerns over the potential lack of emergency plans at a US base, which they believe could station nuclear weapons.

The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) has sent a letter to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Suffolk County Council (SCC) asking what, if any, risk assessments plans over the potential storage of nuclear weapons have taken place at RAF Lakenheath.

The group said there are indications from the US Air Force (USAF) to suggest that such weapons – which were previously housed at the base until 2008 – could be stationed there once again.

CND said the authorities do not have the required plans and measures in place to deal with emergency situations that could arise from the storage of radioactive materials.

Sophie Bolt, general secretary at CND, said: “While the council has now prepared a response to any potential accident at the Sizewell nuclear plant, it seems to have no such emergency plan for the deployment of US nuclear weapons to RAF Lakenheath.

“Why such a huge oversight - especially given the accidents and mishaps when handling nuclear weapons that have taken place at the base historically.

“This lack of emergency planning is absolutely shocking considering US nuclear bombs could now be at the base.

“It’s totally unacceptable that the British government uses nuclear secrecy to avoid any accountability for these deployments when they pose such a huge risk to the environment and the population.”

Nuclear weapons were initially housed at Lakenheath from 1954.

The weapons were removed in 2008 and the base has since only hosted USAF units and personnel.

However, a recent 2024 USAF budgetary justification report said plans have been lodged to build a new 144-bedroom ‘surety dormitary’ at Lakenheath, which forms part of a $50m (£39m) project.

‘Surety’ is said to be a term commonly used within the Department of Defense and Department of Energy to refer to the capability to keep nuclear weapons safe, secure and under positive control.

In November 2023, CND wrote to the MoD to challenge the planning for the dormitory and the potential storage of nuclear weapons.

A year later, upgrades to the base - which gave it the capability to house F-35 aircraft capable of carrying nuclear bombs - were complete.

Last month, the group called for the Prime Minister to ‘come clean’ regarding nuclear weapons at the base.

Ricardo Gama, environment solicitor for Leigh Day, said: “With escalating nuclear rhetoric around the world and the possibility of nuclear weapons returning to UK soil, CND believes that the government needs to come clean about the risks that nuclear weapons pose to the public and the environment.

“That’s why they’re particularly concerned that laws requiring emergency procedures for sites involving radioactive materials have been overlooked by the government and local authorities.

“We hope that the MoD and Suffolk County Council will clarify what plans, if any, the authorities have in place to deal with a nuclear emergency.”

CND said that if the UK government were to allow nuclear weapons to be stationed at Lakenheath without proper emergency plans, this could be in breach of statutory obligations under a number of the 2019 Radiation Regulations.

These regulations include a requirement to carry out a hazard evaluation and have plans prepared to limit the possibility of a radiation emergency as well as a consequence assessment for if one should occur.

CND says that no such planning appears to have taken place, which puts on-site personnel, civilians and the environment in danger.

In its latest letter to the Secretary of State for Defence, the group has asked the Government to demonstrate if the regulations have been met, and if not, urges that appropriate assessments of the nuclear incident risks take place within two months.

When asked if any emergency plans have been implemented, a spokesperson for MoD said: “It remains a long-standing UK and NATO policy to neither confirm nor deny the presence of nuclear weapons at a given location.”

CND has also written to SCC arguing that it has similarly failed to comply with the 2019 Radiation Regulations.

The group said that the council has failed to meet obligations under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, which requires it to make occasional assessments of the risk of an emergency occurring as well as maintain emergency plans.

In its letter to SCC, CND asked the council to complete a full assessment of the risks of a nuclear incident occurring at Lakenheath.

A spokesperson for the council said they will not be commenting on this at this time.

They added: “However in a general sense any matters relating to military establishments, and their operations, including those of visiting forces, such as the United States Air Force, in the United Kingdom are the responsibility of the Ministry of Defence.”