DREDGING the Tamar to allow Trident submarines to be refitted in the river could cause serious damage to an area of outstanding natural beauty.

This was the warning from Kevin Owens, a former activist in the Plymouth Nuclear Dump Information Group, speaking to the Tavistock Peace Action Group at the town's Friends Meeting House last week.

The plan would involve scooping out around 200,000 cubic metres of mud and silt from the river near Devonport, which would be a huge operation, said Mr Owens. This could affect both the Tamar and Tavy estuaries and the surrounding land, which included an area of outstanding natural beauty.

Devonport has been designated the national centre for refitting of nuclear submarines. Nuclear waste has to be stored there before being sent to Sellafield.

The TPAG was set up around 20 years ago and has supported a number of anti-nuclear activities, including the protests at Greenham Common. The PNDIG has now been re-constructed as the Campaign Against Nuclear Storage and Radiation (CANSAR).