'IT'S time to scrap Trident' — that was the unequivocal message of Tavistock Peace Action Group members who were in Bedford Square last Wednesday.

To support their claim they brought in one of the Campaign for Nucleur Disarmament's 'big guns' in the form of Bruce Kent, former CND general secretary and an honorary vice-chairman.

Mr Kent, a former Roman Catholic priest and officer in the Royal Tank Regiment, has advocated for nuclear disarmament since the 1950s and is so passionate in his opinions that at the age of 83 he has embarked on a nationwide tour to emphasise that peace, and not violence, is the answer.

The tour comes in the light of Prime Minister David Cameron's statement that Trident is the 'ultimate deterrent' and that the UK 'would be foolish' to abandon its independent nuclear defence.

The Conservatives favours a £20-billion 'like-for-like' replacement for the existing Government's resolve to upgrade its four Trident submarines.

Mr Kent told the Times: 'There is not such thing as an independent nuclear deterrent as all the missiles are brought and supplied by the Americans.

'Nuclear weapons are not the answers to the threats we have of global warming, health, disease or the spread of terrorism. They did not deter those without nuclear weapons from engaging those who possess them such as Vietnam with America, the Algerians with the French or even the Argentinians with the British over the Falklands.

'They are a monstrous waste of money. Nobody can predict the future but a comet hitting the centre of London is just as likely as this country being subjected to a nuclear attack.'

He denied that Trident's loss would be a threat to jobs in the defence industry at Devonport Dockyard as Mr Kent said these jobs were based in Scotland not Plymouth.

Members of Tavistock Peace Action Group were collecting signatures for a petition to send to the Government advocating scrapping Trident, cancelling its replacement and wanting the outlawing of nuclear weapons globally.

The local group, which has around 80 members, has been in existence since the late 1970s, and has also campaigned for issues such as justice in Palestine, the use of drone aircraft for military purposes and opposed the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Ginny Davies, a spokesperson for the group, said: 'We believe that in any issue of social justice, war always gets in the way. We wish to see justice and peaceful dialogue. Afghanistan, for example, shows that a war on terrorism, far from eradicating terrorism, has just produced more terrorists.'

Mr Kent backed the group's commitment, saying: 'It is marvellous what they are doing. I might get my name in the newspapers but these people don't have even that recognition; they have the conviction that what they are doing is simply because it is right. I think they are really wonderful.

'Don't forget it took 40 years to get rid of the slave trade and some time for the Suffragettes to see votes for women, but they got there in the end.'