MoD police officers at the Atomic Weapons Establishment in Berkshire stand accused of failing to complete routine patrols

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

Ministry of Defence police officers are being investigated over allegations they slept on duty and failed to complete routine patrols at a nuclear weapons factory.

Seven officers at the Atomic Weapons Establishment in Burghfield, Berkshire, have already resigned without facing disciplinary charges.

AWE, which occupies the site of a former munitions factory, is responsible for the complex final assembly and maintenance of nuclear warheads and their decommissioning. The Burghfield site is guarded by members of the 2,700-strong MoD police who are normally armed when on duty.

A spokesman said that disciplinary action was initiated immediately because of the importance of nuclear security, and where appropriate officers had been removed from the site to other duties pending the conclusion of misconduct investigations.

The MoD denied that staff were being investigated for sleeping on the job and insisted there had been no threat to the security.

A spokesman said: "We can confirm a number of officers are under investigation for failing to complete their full patrols at the Atomic Weapons Establishment.

"The investigation is ongoing and the Independent Police Complaints Commission has been notified. It would be inappropriate to comment further while the case is ongoing, however we can be clear that at no point was the security of the site or its nuclear assets compromised."

Peter Burt, of the Nuclear Information Service, which campaigns for nuclear safety, told the Daily Mirror: "The sheer scale of these claims are astonishing, especially given the highly sensitive nature of the complex. It handles radioactive materials, explosives and hazardous chemicals.

"The government never misses an opportunity to tell us how sites like this are at constant risk from terrorists. It's clear there have been problems with security and supervision at a high level."