§ Mr. GaleTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what(a) munitions and (b) delivery systems associated with nuclear warfare have been demolished at (i) the Shoeburyness Sands and (ii) adjacent mud flats/sand banks. [149518]
§ Mr. Spellar[holding answer 8 February 2001]: Rocket motors from the Polaris missile were destroyed at Shoeburyness Sands during the 1990s. Conventional high explosives from nuclear weapon systems have been and continue to be disposed of in the demilitarisation facilities of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency range at Shoeburyness. The level of radiation from the explosives disposed of in this fashion is minute and does not constitute a hazard to the environment or to public health.