Elec. Telegraph: UK nuclear warning system running late

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From today's Electronic Telegraph:

ISSUE 1451 = Sunday 16 May 1999

Early warning system for nuclear war is running late, By David Bamber, Home Affairs Correspondent

BRITAIN'S early warning system against nuclear attacks or invasions is in tatters, it has been claimed.

A project costing more than #100 million is two years behind schedule and wildly over budget, The Telegraph has discovered. Instead the country is relying on outdated and easily disrupted "Dad's Army"-style technology to alert people in the event of a national emergency.

Originally, it was intended that the warning system would be in place in 1998 and that the obsolete 1950s technology would by now have been scrapped. But now the Government has admitted that the project will not be in place until March 2000 at the earliest.

The system will enable warnings to be broadcast on television, radio, over telephone lines and through computer networks, using a series of transmitters. But it has proved more difficult to co-ordinate and install than originally thought. There has been tension between the broadcasting authorities and the Ministry of Defence over costs, with some estimates claiming that the system is more than #50 million over budget.

The former Tory education minister Baroness Blatch is concerned about the delays. She said: "A system was selected in 1995 and work began to develop the early warning system. There appears to be tension between the Home Office, the MoD, the BBC and the governing body of independent television, which is preventing the work coming to fruition."

One defence expert said: "The system is not ready and the outdated technology used now leaves our early warning system in tatters. If the current system was effective it would not need to be replaced." Although a fullscale nuclear attack or invasion of Britain is unlikely, defence experts say it is essential to have an attack warning system in place.

Recent events such as the Brixton, Brick Lane and Soho bombings have shown that a major terrorist campaign can be be launched relatively easily. Potentially these could cause massive disruption. The warning system was also intended to be used in the event of a natural disaster such as major flooding or severe storms.

The current system was developed in the 1950s. It relies on a series of sirens and loudspeakers on council buildings to give out sternly-voiced warnings. The advice, given in pre-recorded announcements, is rudimentary. In the event of a nuclear war, the announcements would counsel people to remain indoors with the curtains closed, a move which would offer little real protection.

The system could be easily disrupted by terrorists and even by natural disasters. Its complete inadequacy in the light of modern technology was recognised by the previous government, which ordered the expensive replacement.

Last night a government spokesman admitted that the project was running at least two years behind schedule. He said: "There have been difficulties with some of the technology but it is expected the system will be in place by the end of the financial year." He refused to comment on claims that the system was massively over budget.

Cut and pasted by

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), May 16, 1999

Answers

Old Git,

That's made my day.We have a nuclear power plant about 15 miles away.Luckily it is so old it has a gravity operated manual shutdown. We also have a Royal Ordenance factory 3 miles away & know what is like to see a thick white cloud coming down the hill at you.

All this in beautiful rural Somerset.

-- Chris (griffen@globalnet.co.uk), May 16, 1999.


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