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Locals call for transparency after nuclear drill

Vikki Irwin
BBC political reporter, Suffolk
Matt Precey
BBC News, Suffolk
USAF A white plane fuselage cut in half is in the background on a runway ,there are people in hi-vis jackets in the background. In the fore ground on the runway is a burning piece of metal. Flames are rising USAF
Exercise Diamond Dragon simulated a crash in the UK of a US aircraft carrying "defence nuclear materials"

People living near a US airbase earmarked to house nuclear weapons say they are being left in the dark about what would happen in the event of a radiation alert.

It comes after a drill simulating an accident involving such material was held, with personnel from RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk taking part.

Nick Timothy, Conservative MP for West Suffolk, said while the US military was "welcome", there needed to be "transparency as far as possible on issues like this exercise".

A Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesman said: "Exercise Diamond Dragon demonstrated our preparedness to respond to any incident, no matter how unlikely".

USAF Two medics wearing green outfits are treating a person on the runway in a simulated exercise. Both medics are wearing masks and the injured part is lying on their front with a head wound visible. There is an oxygen tank and medical first aid kits next to the medics and injured person. USAF
The previous Diamond Dragon exercise was publicised and a report published

The exercise was conducted at nearby RAF Honington.

A US Air Force (USAF) spokesman said: "Airmen from the USAF participated in a small-scale, joint emergency response exercise from September 23-25, 2024.

"The purpose was to train and evaluate combined emergency response procedures in support of military operations and accidents".

The last exercise was held in 2015, after which a report into what lessons had been learned was published.

Vikki Irwin/BBC Gerald Kelly is standing outside in a garden and there is a blue sky with small clouds in the background with a fences and views over fields. Mr Kelly is wearing a grey coat and blue jumper and blue and green chequered shirt. He is smiling at the camera. Vikki Irwin/BBC
Parish council chairman Gerald Kelly wants a siren system put in place to alert the local population in the event of a nuclear accident

The Suffolk Resilience Forum, which leads on emergency planning in the county, confirmed the scenario in both instances was a simulated crash in the UK of a US aircraft carrying "defence nuclear materials".

Lakenheath Parish Council chairman Gerald Kelly said he had been told informally about the latest drill.

He said the area had an emergency plan, but added: "There is nothing in there about this sort of incident."

The MoD should inform residents "what it wants us to do" if the event of an incident, he said.

Mr Kelly called for a siren system to be installed and for the local community to be involved in any future exercises.

Last year it emerged RAF Lakenheath was preparing facilities to house and guard nuclear bombs, 15 years after they were removed from the site.

The F-35A Lightning II squadron at the base is now certified to carry the B61-12 thermonuclear munition.

The UK and Nato have a long-standing policy to neither confirm nor deny the presence of nuclear weapons at a given location.

The Defence Nuclear Organisation, which oversees "all defence nuclear business, excluding operations", published guidance in 2021 detailing what local authorities should do in case of a nuclear weapons emergency.

One section advised members of the public situated 5km (three miles) downwind of an incident should be evacuated in a 45-degree arc, centred on the wind direction.

Parents would also be advised not to try to collect children from school unless told otherwise.

"The school authorities will look after them," the document stated.

Vikki Irwin/BBC David Rolph is standing on the high street in Lakenheath and in the background is an old brown brick building with window. David is wearing a black hooded Nike top and black t-shirt. He has a shaven head and tattoos. He is smiling at the camera. Vikki Irwin/BBC
Lakenheath resident David Rolph endorsed the idea of a siren warning system

Lakenheath villagers said they did not know about this advice or Exercise Diamond Dragon.

David Rolph, who has lived locally for 20 years, said: "I think the local people should be well aware of what we can do if something happened on-base and there isn't any information. There is no noticeboard saying what to do."

He endorsed the idea of a siren warning system.

Vikki Irwin/BBC Lily Brown is standing on the high street in Lakenheath. You can see the road and a zebra crossing in the background. Lily is wearing a black barbers top, with back cardigan. She has her hair up in a messy bun and is wearing sunglasses. Vikki Irwin/BBC
Lily Brown was less supportive of the warning system idea

Lily Brown, 33, a barber who previously worked at RAF Lakenheath, was not keen on the idea of sirens being installed. "I'd rather not know what's coming," she said.

Sally Hunt confirmed she also had received no nuclear safety information, despite living close to Lakenheath for two decades.

"If they are going to have nuclear weapons up there, I think we should be aware of it and know that there are safety measures in place," she added.

Vikki Irwin, BBC Sally Hunt is on the high street pavement in Lakenheath. You can see the fish and chip shop in the background and the zebra crossing. Sally is wearing a black jumper and red Gillet over the top. She is smiling at the camera and has short dark hair. Vikki Irwin, BBC
Sally Hunt, who lives close to the base at Lakenheath, said she hoped "they know what they're doing".
Contributed Man with beard standing against a grey background. He is wearing a dark blue suit, white shirt with a bright blue tie. He is smiling at the camera. Contributed
The Conservative MP for West Suffolk, Nick Timothy, said there needed to be "transparency as far as possible on issues like this exercise"

Timothy, who has represented the constituency since last July, said: "We know that exercises like this take place across government, across the military and public services for all sorts of different possibilities all the time."

A spokesman for the Suffolk Resilience Forum said it would publish a report on the latest exercise.

They added: "This happened in West Suffolk because of the obvious availability and proximity of a suitable location and relevant military personnel.

"This exercise is relevant to anywhere in the UK and does not represent a specific threat to our area."

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