Seven sailors have been kicked off a Royal Navy submarine after testing positive for cocaine. Crew members from HMS Talent, which is armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles, were removed from the submarine after the class A drug was found in their system whilst on duty last week.

The sailors failed a compulsory drugs test the morning after they attended a drug-fuelled party, as the 5,300-ton submarine was preparing for a sensitive mission to track Russian submarine movements in the North Sea and the Arctic Circle.

Senior Navy officers ordered that the sailors be handed over to military police after doctors confirmed the results last week.

The Ministry of Defence confirmed the incident last night, describing the sailors’ actions as “incompatible” with military Service because it “reduces operational effectiveness.”

“This is a major embarrassment for top brass. It takes years to train submariners to perform highly skilled and highly sensitive roles at sea and the Navy has just lost seven guys due to one night of stupidity,” a Navy source told the Mail on Sunday.