A nuclear emergency exercise will be staged in Plymouth on Wedneday to test responses.

Codenamed Exercise Short Sermon 16, the day is designed to test the procedures in place for dealing with a nuclear reactor emergency involving a nuclear-powered submarine at Devonport. During the day personnel from approximately 27 agencies will be responding at the tactical, operational and strategic levels in Plymouth, Exeter, and Truro.

Alongside the Ministry of Defence and Babcock, agencies participating include; Plymouth City Council; Cornwall Council; Devon and Cornwall Police; Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service; South West Ambulance Service Trust; Public Health England; South West Water; The Highways Agency; Network Rail; Environment Agency; Met Office and the Department for Energy and Climate Change Radiation Information Monitoring Network.

Staff at Devonport Dockyard and the Naval Base will have to take shelter or be evacuated to pre-designated shelter stations on the Devonport site.

Members of the public outside the Naval Base will not be affected or need to take any action.

Organisers of the exercise said: ’Part of the exercise will include the simulated distribution of potassium iodate tablets in selected areas outside the Devonport site and this is achieved by teams of Royal Navy personnel delivering notices through letter boxes.

’The exact areas involved in this part of the exercise will depend on weather conditions as outlined by the exercise directors and will not be known by the exercise players until the day.

If members of the public receive notices through their letter boxes there is no need for them to take any action.

’In addition, members of the public may hear the Naval Base siren which will be sounded at some point during the morning. This is outside of the usual Monday morning 11.30am test. People should not be alarmed, this is being sounded to add realism into the play. Members of the public need take no action.’

Naval Base Commander, Commodore Ian Shipperley, stressed: ’The purpose of the Short Sermon exercise is for the Ministry of Defence and Babcock to demonstrate to the independent regulatory bodies that, if ever called upon, the site has the necessary plans and resources whilst testing the broader off site multi-agency nuclear emergency arrangements.’