Hundreds of demonstrators protest outside Trident submarine nuclear weapons site in UK

Hundreds protest outside UK nuclear weapons site

LONDON — Hundreds of peace protesters demonstrated Monday outside a factory in southern England where warheads for Trident nuclear submarines are made.

The demonstrators blocked gates outside the site in Aldermaston, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) west of London, early Monday, police said. Ten people were arrested.

Anti-nuclear groups said two Nobel Peace Prize winners — Jody Williams, who led a campaign to ban land mines, and Mairead Maguire, who led a campaign to end violence in Northern Ireland — were among those taking part.

“People have come from all over the UK and we also have a big international contingent — it’s the biggest blockade for many years,” said Kate Hudson, who chairs the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. “It’s a reflection of the fact that the majority of the population is against the British possession of nuclear weapons.”

Despite efforts from Britain’s military to scale down long term spending, Defense Secretary Bob Ainsworth recently announced that the 20 billion pound ($32 billion) program to replace Britain’s Trident nuclear submarines would go ahead.

(This version CORRECTS that the plant makes warheads sted submarines.)