The SNP has called for ‘total transparency’ from the Ministry of Defence after it emerged that radium pollution had been identified at three further locations in Scotland, in addition to Dalgety Bay in Fife.

The information was revealed by an FOI request obtained by the Scottish Sunday Express after UK Ministers claimed the information was not available in response to a parliamentary question tabled by SNP Environment spokesperson Mike Weir MP.

In a letter the Defence Infrastructure Organisation revealed that soil contaminated with radium had been identified at thirteen sites across the UK – including: RAF Kinloss, RAF Machrihanish and the former defence aviation repair agency factory near Perth as well as Dalgety Bay in Scotland.

The Ministry of Defence already faces calls to take responsibility for the clean-up of radioactive particles found at Dalgety Bay.

Commenting, Mr Weir said:

“Given the failure of the MoD to take responsibility for the contamination at Dalgety Bay, it is clearly worrying that other locations where soil polluted by radium have been identified.

“The behaviour of the Ministry of Defence has been evasive and shifty, with Ministers refusing to provide the information that has now emerged from an FOI request to the Defence Infrastructure Organisation.

“We now need total transparency as well as immediate action to clean up any hazard that exists to public health.

“The communities that are affected deserve total transparency and the Ministry of Defence must accept its clear responsibility to establish the facts and take action clean up any contamination.”