The ESG cannot remain silent with the return of HMS Tireless to Gibraltar.

This submarine visit is condemned by the group as it has condemned all other nuclear submarine visits to Gibraltar.

It is quite incredible to hear the furore created by the Spanish media and politicians in respect of Tireless, when, in fact, she poses no greater or lesser threat to people and the environment than any other nuclear submarine. The ESG deplores also the manner in which Tireless’s visit appears to be celebrated by some in our society giving nuclear submarines an institutionalisation which must be resisted at all costs.

Gibraltar’s nuclear safety plan, GIBPUBSAFE, continues unchanged and as woefully inadequate as it was shown to be during the Tireless repairs. Residents in the UK, Liverpool and Faslane specifically, have in 1997 and 1999 been issued public information documents by the Ministry of Defence, advising individuals how to help themselves in the event of a nuclear accident.

The ESG demands that the same consideration be given towards the safety needs and reassurance of the Gibraltarian population until such time as we see an end to the presence of nuclear submarines in Gibraltar.