Safety concerns have been raised since the Afghanistan crash

It has emerged that the crew of a Nimrod used a teapot to block a hatch gap in their plane after a mid-air mechanical fault.

A Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokeswoman said safety had not been compromised.

Moray MP and Scottish National Party defence spokesman Angus Robertson told BBC Scotland he wanted reassurances about the safety of the fleet.

There have been concerns about safety since 12 RAF Kinloss personnel, a Royal Marine and a soldier died when a Nimrod crashed on 2 September in Afghanistan after a suspected technical fault.

This new wave of revelations is not going to instil the crews or families with confidence

Angus Robertson

SNP defence spokesman

In the latest incident, the Nimrod was on an operational flight from Cornwall to Kinloss.

An RAF Kinloss spokeswoman said there was a malfunction with a hatch from which sonar buoys are thrown during search and rescue missions.

The spokeswoman said: "There was a minor malfunction with the hatch cover and the teapot would have been used to make it more comfortable for the crew.

"At no time was air crew safety compromised."

Mr Robertson said: "Family members of service personnel who died have had concerns about maintenance and safety.

"This new wave of revelations is not going to instil the crews or families with confidence.

"I really hope the MoD will be doing everything possible so that there are no repetitions of these technical problems and maintain safety."

The MoD has promised that concerns about the safety of the RAF Nimrod fleet would be fully investigated following the September crash.