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Britain's redundant nuclear submarines, including the four Polaris boats now replaced by Trident, will

continue to be moored at Rosyth in Fife and Devonport in Devon until 2012, when the Nirex deep nuclear waste repository becomes available, Michael Portillo, Secretary of State for Defence, confirmed to the House of Commons Defence Committee.

MPs expressed anger that the nuclear submarines, minus their nuclear fuel, would lie alongside for another 16 years although Navy sources insisted the 2012 date was "not new". Mr Portillo said keeping the submarines "intact and afloat" until the deep disposal site is operational was "the best and safest option" .