LONDON - Environment officials said Thursday that there was no danger to the public from a leak of radioactive liquid from a nuclear-powered submarine.
The Environment Agency said 10 liters (2.6 gallons) of tritium-enriched coolant water spilled from HMS Vanguard while it was berthed at the Devonport naval base in Plymouth, southwest England, two weeks ago.
The agency said about half the water had leaked onto a dock as it was being transferred from one submarine tank to another. The rest was caught in an overspill container on the sub.
"We immediately investigated and found out that there was no release of radioactive material from the dock into the environment," an agency spokeswoman said on condition of anonymity. "There is no threat to the environment or to the public. It is a minor spill."
The managers of the Devonport base said the area around the leak had been tested for radiation and found to be clear.
The Nuclear Installations Inspectorate will conduct a separate investigation.
On Wednesday the Ministry of Defense said it was increasing security at Devonport, where HMS Vanguard is being refitted, after two anti-nuclear activists broke into the dockyard and boarded the sub.
Petter Joelson, 22, from Sweden, and Elisa Silvennoinen, 19, of Finland, were released on bail after pleading innocent to a charge of damaging a security fence at the base.
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