Lost missiles 'found' by MP

Ian Liddell-Grainger and the casings outside the MoD

Parts of missiles lost at sea by the MoD have been found on the shoreline near a nuclear power station, an MP has claimed.

Ian Liddell-Grainger, Tory MP for Bridgwater, presented the casings from the missiles to the MoD on Tuesday.

The Ministry says the missiles should not have been moved, but were also not armed and could not have detonated.

A total of 21 Swingfire anti-tank missiles were washed into the Bristol Channel by strong tides in March 2002.

Mr Liddell-Grainger said on Monday that he had found the casings of two Swingfires at Kilve, near Hinkley Point nuclear power station.

Our advice to members of the public is if you find unexploded munitions, never touch or move them and tell the police MoD spokesman

The missiles had been strapped to a pallet for underwater disposal in a routine procedure which went wrong.

They were not found by police, coastguards or the MoD at the time.

Mr Liddell-Grainger, who put to sea himself to find them, says the Swingfires pose a major risk to safety.

"This is a scandal. The MoD couldn't find their own weapons and claimed they would safely sink.

"Now I have the proof. The MoD has an absolute and urgent duty to start proper searches.

"If any of these things detonate and damage the structure of Hinkley Point there could be a national disaster."

But the MoD said Mr Liddell-Grainger should have left the casings for bomb disposal experts to deal with.

It said that although the missiles contained explosives when they were lost, they were not armed so they could not detonate.

"Our advice to members of the public is if you find unexploded munitions, never touch or move them and tell the police," said the spokesman.