THE Ministry of Defence (MoD) is under fire for failing to dispose of cold war-era nuclear-powered submarines that are being left to rust in harbours across Britain.

The MoD now has twice as many submarines in storage as it does in service and has not disposed of any of the 20 boats decommissioned since 1980, the National Audit Office (NAO) has said in a highly critical new report.

The auditors said nine of the vessels still contain irradiated fuel and warned the government that its failure to address the issue risks damaging Britain’s international reputation as a “responsible nuclear power.”