A MAJOR nuclear disaster emergency plan is to be undertaken on Portland.

Emergency planners will distribute specialist tablets to people which need to be taken in the event of a leak from a visiting nuclear submarine.

On Wednesday teams from the Royal Navy and Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) will exercise the distribution of potassium iodate tablets (PITs) to premises in the area around Portland Port.

It is part of the Nuclear Accident Emergency Plan which is in place to react in the highly unlikely event of a nuclear accident occurring during the visit of a nuclear powered warship to the port.

Rubert Best, a former nuclear submarine captain who is a director of Portland Port, said: “It’s routine practice.

“There’s a system that needs to be exercised periodically and it’s perfectly normal, standard practice.

“The rules for these are all laid down by the nuclear safety committee – all ports have to be cleared for nuclear submarines.

“This process will all have been cleared with Dorset County Council’s emergency planning officer.”

One important aspect of the plan is the delivery of PITs to members of the public who are within 1.5 kilometres of the port.

Mr Best added: “These tablets basically give protection against one of the most common elements that sould be released in the event of a serious nuclear accident – which has never happened on any Royal Navy submarine.”

The exercise will be closely watched by regulators, nuclear installations inspectorate and the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator, so that it can demonstrate to them that proper plans and practices are in place.

People should be reassured that the plan caters for the worst case scenario and that it would be a highly unlikely event.

Nuclear-powered submarines have been operated safely for over 40 years.

Portland historian Stuart Morris also welcomed the exercise.

He said: “There’s nothing new in this, submarines first came to Portland in 1958 – the USS Nautilus – and we’ve been having nuclear submarines at frequent intervals ever since.

“It’s good to have these exercises, I respect what they’re doing.”

The exercise will involve teams of about 12 Royal Naval and Maritime and Coastguard Agency personnel delivering an Information booklet through letterboxes.

Anyone receiving a booklet need take no further action other than retaining the booklet in a safe place.

A telephone number is printed in the booklet if anyone has any enquiries.

The submarines

HMS Sceptre spent five days at Portland in 2008.

It was the second nuclear-powered submarine to dock at the island in seven months following a visit by the Trafalgar-class HMS Tireless the previous October.

Emergency planners and healthcare professionals were put on standby for the arrival of the nuclear powered submarines.

The Tireless visit first time a nuclear powered submarine has visited in 12 years since the Navy re-certified berthing sites across the world.

And the visits to Portland Port came half a century after the USS Nautilus called in at the former navy base.

Emergency planners from the council worked with Weymouth and Portland Borough Council, the Ministry of Defence, Dorset Police, Portland Port and Dorset Primary Care Trust to ensure they would ready to respond to the 'unlikely event' of an incident involving the submarine. Planning preparations to safeguard the public included distribution of potassium iodate tablets to hospitals, schools, prisons and hotels.