THE SNP have hit out at Westminster “failure” as MPs accuse the Ministry of Defence of creating a “ticking time bomb” by neglecting nuclear sites.

A cross-party committee of MPs says the infrastructure for supporting the Royal Navy’s nuclear submarine fleet is no longer “fit for purpose” in a scathing new report.

The Commons Public Accounts Committee slammed past decisions to delay maintenance at the MoD’s 13 nuclear sites around the UK.

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The warning comes after the National Audit Office disclosed earlier this year that the MoD’s “Nuclear Enterprise” programme was facing a £2.9 billion “affordability gap”.

SNP defence spokesperson Stewart McDonald said: “It beggars belief that despite a huge cost of £2.2 bn a year to maintain, the UK Government has failed to ensure its fleet of nuclear submarines are fit for purpose.

“Instead of wasting billions more on the never-ending financial black hole of Trident nuclear weapons, the UK Government should be prioritising conventional defence.

“The Tories have repeatedly broken their promises to Clyde shipbuilders, and are failing to ensure our hard-working armed forces have the equipment, support and conditions they deserve.

“It’s time that Trident was scrapped and conventional defence given the funding it needs.”

Committee chair Meg Hillier said that with the MoD already facing “challenges” over the delivery of its new aircraft carriers and a potential £20bn shortfall in its equipment programme, there were “serious questions” over its ability to meet its national security commitments.

Over the next 10 years, the MoD is expected to spend £51bn on maintaining and replacing the submarine fleet.

This includes the Vanguard submarines which carry the UK’s Trident nuclear deterrent.

However, the committee warned “incorrect” assumptions in the past about the infrastructure that would be needed meant it did not have the berthing space it needed at the Devonport naval base where maintenance and “defuelling” of the submarines is carried out.

It said the MoD had deferred work on dismantling old submarines which had been taken out of service on “affordability grounds” and there was now a backlog of 20 vessels waiting to be disposed of, including nine which still contained nuclear fuel.

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To date, the UK has never completely disposed of an old nuclear submarine and while work has begun on the first, it is not due to be finished until the mid-2020s.

The committee said work on defuelling the next submarine was due to begin around the same time, and that the disposals programme was expected to last “at least a couple of decades”.

Hillier said: “I am particularly concerned that the infrastructure available to support the Nuclear Enterprise is not fit for purpose.

“The MoD admits that while it has previously put off dismantling submarines on grounds of cost, this is no longer acceptable on grounds of safety and reputation. The MoD needs to get on top of this quickly.”