Equipment and other goods headed for RAF Akrotiri currently have to travel through Cypriot commercial ports

Britain would have to spend tens of millions of pounds building a port to service its military base in Cyprus after a no-deal Brexit, officials have concluded.

Plans for the facility at RAF Akrotiri are already being drawn up as part of preparations to limit the impact of Britain leaving the EU without a trade agreement.

Equipment and other goods headed for the base travel through Cypriot commercial ports. Officials said that customs and other inspections imposed by the EU after a no-deal Brexit would seriously threaten operations.

The base, which has the status of sovereign British territory, has a small port already but this would need to be significantly expanded. The Ministry of Defence is thought to have put a provisional claim on the