ANTI-NUCLEAR campaigners are planning to stage the biggest blockade ever held in Plymouth to protest against Trident.

Hundreds of protesters are intending to block all six entrances to Devonport Naval Base and the adjoining dockyard on November 1.

The protest, which organisers describe as a non-violent event, will see anti-nuclear activists from across the country descending on Plymouth.

They are campaigning to highlight the cost of replacing Trident, which is Britain's nuclear deterrent.

The Trident missile defence system is carried on four Vanguard-class submarines.

Devonport is the UK's only base with the specialist facilities and skilled workforce to maintain the submarine fleet.

Meanwhile government departments are still thrashing out details of how the controversial system will be funded.

The coalition Government is planning to renew the system, but the Ministry of Defence and the Treasury departments are at loggerheads about which will foot the multi-billion-pound bill.

Plymouth-based defence expert Iain Ballantyne has warned that placing Trident in the MoD's budget would effectively 'mean the end' of the armed forces with little or no money left to maintain the strength of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Army or RAF.

New missile system a waste of money

A CITY campaign group believes the Government should scrap the

controversial Trident missile defence system and pump the money into the

economy.

Shirley Law, a Plymouth-based Trident Ploughshares

campaigner, says in today's economic climate, and with a diminishing

threat of nuclear strikes against Britain, there is "no point" in

renewing the £20billion deterrent.

"When you think how bad the

state of the economy is, and then you consider the politicians are

looking to spend £76billion on replacing Trident, it makes no sense,"

Mrs Law said.

"In this climate it is a huge waste of money and we

just don't want it any more. The greatest risks to us today are global

warming and terrorism. Trident will not help either of those issues."

Mrs Law was speaking as Trident Ploughshares announced plans for a

huge protest in Plymouth on November 1.

The protest to highlight

the cost of replacing Britain's nuclear deterrent will see campaigners

blockade all six of the gates at Devonport Naval Base and the adjoining

dockyard.

Up to 400 protesters are expected to attend the

non-violent protest.

Mrs Law added: "For Plymouth, this will be

the biggest blockade we have ever staged.

"We are expecting at

least 300 or 400 people and we will blockade every gate at the site. We

want to make people stop and think about the stupid idea of replacing

Trident.

"We also want people to consider the proposals to scrap

nuclear submarines in Plymouth. There is no point in complaining after

these things have been decided on. We need to be heard now."

The

blockade will start at 6am on November 1.

During the event

campaigners will be distributing leaflets and displaying posters

highlighting the cause.

On its website, Trident Ploughshares

states Plymouth is becoming known as the 'Sellafield of the South West'

because of its involvement with nuclear submarine refits, maintenance

and upgrades.

Sarah Lasenby, a member of Trident Ploughshares,

said: "This could well be the largest blockade ever staged. In many ways

it should be, given the strength of feeling towards Trident right now."

Plymouth's blockade follows a disarmament camp in Aldermaston in

February which attracted about 1,000 people. Last November about 300

people attended a rally in Devonport protesting against proposals to

scrap nuclear submarines at Devonport Dockyard. The event was organised

by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

An MoD spokesman said:

"We respect everyone's right to peaceful and lawful protest. The Royal

Navy has an excellent safety record in the operation of its nuclear

submarines."

Rebuild delays could bring benefits

DELAYING the replacement of Britain's nuclear deterrent system could

lead to lucrative work at Devonport Dockyard, supporters claim.

While

the coalition Government's Treasury and Ministry of Defence departments

do battle over which will fund the £20billion replacement, many believe

Plymouth in particular could benefit.

The Government has

confirmed it will keep and renew the Trident missile defence system,

which is carried on four Vanguard-class submarines.

With

Devonport being the UK's only base with the specialist facilities and

skilled workforce to maintain the submarine fleet, any delay building

the new fleet would mean Plymouth once again having to refit one or more

of the boats.

These refits are worth hundreds of millions of

pounds to the city's economy. While this could be viewed as a positive

scenario, others aren't quite so good.

One of the proposals to

cut future costs is to reduce the number of Trident-carrying submarines

from four to three. This would take away one of Devonport refits.

This

decision, coupled with the looming Strategic Defence and Security

Review which new Defence Secretary Liam Fox has warned could be 'the

absolute mother of horrors of a spending review', could have huge

implications for the city.

Gary Streeter, Tory MP for South West

Devon, said it is important the correct decision is made to fund a

replacement system.

"The decision has been made to keep and renew

Trident," he said.

"The problem is where the money will come

from to renew it.

"There'll be a knock-on effect if the MoD is

forced to cover it. We need to make sure the outcome of the review is

the correct one. I think the Treasury will have to find a way to fund

part of it."

Alison Seabeck, Labour MP for Plymouth Moorview —

who now sits on the influential Defence Select Committee — said the

issue is "impossible to call" and believed an announcement on Trident

will be made later this month.

Roger Darcy, chairman of Devonport

Dockyard's industrial trade unions, said concerns among workers had not

diminished.

"We've heard rumours, including the one about

extending Vanguard's life," he said.

"That would be a good thing,

but then we hear the MoD's being told to cut 20 per cent from its

budget.

"We rely on workloads from the MoD, so there's still that

concern."

Plymouth-based defence expert Iain Ballantyne said the

future of Trident would depend on how ruthless the Government wanted to

be.

"If Trident is placed within the MoD's budget they might as

well turn off the lights on the UK's armed forces," he said.

"Trident

would blow the budget apart and mean the end of the armed forces."

He

added: "Delaying the replacement would help to retain skills in

Devonport and give us another multi-million-pound refit."

But

Sarah Lasenby, of Trident Ploughshares, said the campaign group would

like to see Trident scrapped altogether.

"It's a devilishly

expensive thing and the money would be far more use elsewhere in

society," said Mrs Lasenby.

Details of the Strategic Defence and

Security Review are expected this autumn.