North Korea could launch a nuclear weapon that could strike London in just 18 months, says ex-military chief

General Sir Richard Barrons warns that Britain's 'out of date' armed forces left it defenceless in the face of the threat

General Sir Richard Barrons said that Pyongyang could soon inflict a strike against Britain (Screengrab)

North Korea could launch a nuclear missile with the capability to strike London within 18 months - and Britain is defenceless in the face of the threat, a former military chief has said.

General Sir Richard Barrons said that it if the secretive communist state did push the detonato it would be a horror scenario that our armed forces simply “can’t deal with”.

He said they were “close to breaking point” after being starved of funds. It has left the UK lacking the modern military hardware necessary to fight off potential attacks, he added.

The threat to Britain was compounded because the security services are overstretched tackling ongoing terror threats from Isis, who could also target Britain if they acquired nuclear weapons.

North Korea has launched almost two dozen ballistic missiles this year as it strives to become a nuclear power.

Some of the Hwasong-14s have been fired over Japan landing almost 3,000 miles from their launch sites in the Pacific Ocean, prompting fears that the high-powered weapons could eventually reach Britain.

Speaking at a Commons Defence Select Committee set up to review national security, he told MPs: "We are looking at North Korea which within the next 12 to 18 months will make a nuclear missile to an intercontinental range ballistic missile that could reach London and we can't deal with that."

He added: "We now live in an age where people who are not on our side have capability that they could, I'm not saying they will, but could, inflict on the UK homeland at short notice which we can't deal with."

Sir Richard added that Britain had a Navy that “is structurally underfunded, an Air Force that is holding together a bunch of very good equipment but really at the edge of their engineering and support capacity and an Army that is now broadly speaking 20 years out of date."

He added: “When they fly, sail or deploy on the land and they look at their equipment, they look at their sustainability and they look at their shortfalls in training and they look at their allies, they know they are not fit for purpose."

Sir Richard retired just last year as Commander of the Joint Forces Command, overseeing all three armed services, and his fears for Britain’s defences in the face of an attack will carry weight.

It came as North Korea has launched 22 ballistic missiles since February in its bid to be a nuclear power state.

The tests included two Hwasong-14s it fired over Japan in July, with some analysts believing that the second of the high-powered weapons by the rogue nation had the range to reach the US.

Its fiery leader Kim Jong Un has his military sights set on his number one enemy over the Atlantic for any potential strike, but Britain – Washington’s top ally - could also in theory be targeted.