THE Barrow and Furness MP has raised concerns on how coastal erosion and adverse weather can affect BAE putting submarines out to sea.

Simon Fell asked a defence minister about ‘threats’ brought about by strong weather in the area, which ‘splits Walney in two’ at its worst.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Conservative Mr Fell said: “In the worst weather, Walney Island in my constituency of Barrow and Furness splits in two, which risks homes, jobs and our fantastic nature reserve.

“I know the MOD perhaps does not put nature reserves at the top of its pile of things to care about, but there is another threat—it risks sifting the channel that BAE uses to push subs out into the sea.

“I am raising this issue across Government: can I ask the MOD’s view on it?”

In response to the Barrow MP, the minister for defence procurement Jeremy Quin allayed fears.

He said: “Just to reassure my honourable friend, we have 169 sites of special scientific interest in the defence estate, and we care very deeply about that and our role as a good champion of conservation.

“My honourable is assiduous on behalf of the jobs in his constituency, and defence jobs in particular.

“I fully appreciate his concerns on coastal erosion, but I am happy to reassure him that it is not currently considered a risk to submarine movements, although I am grateful for his ongoing interest.”

A global study published in March named Barrow as one of the five areas in the UK to be worst-hit by coastal erosion.

There are fears the island could eventually split in two permanently due to the effects of flooding.

One study by climate scientists projected that much of the island would be left submerged under water by 2050 due to rising sea levels.