Mystery as police and military deny all knowledge of huge convoy through Preston

A long convoy of police and military trucks rolled through Preston with sirens wailing today (Friday, July 29) – but the movement appears to be shrouded in secrecy.
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The blue-light convoy – made up of nine police vehicles, four Army trucks, three coaches and a fire engine – was seen making its way through Kirkham, Preston and Penwortham at around 10am.

A video taken at the Golden Way roundabout, off the Penwortham flyover, shows police stopping traffic whilst the unmarked convoy roars past. At one point in the video, a police officer escorting the Army trucks yells at the person filming the convoy from their car to “put your phone away!”

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Some observers said it appeared to be a nuclear convoy, which often take the M6 through Lancashire – usually at night – when travelling between bases in Scotland and the South of England.

The police and military convoy rolled through Preston on Friday, July 29. Pic credit: @CraftycutterukThe police and military convoy rolled through Preston on Friday, July 29. Pic credit: @Craftycutteruk
The police and military convoy rolled through Preston on Friday, July 29. Pic credit: @Craftycutteruk

Due to the southbound M6 closure today, the convoy might have been forced to divert off the motorway and travel along the A-roads through Lancashire.

It was earlier spotted on the A583 in Kirkham heading into Preston and later took a route along the Penwortham flyover, Golden Hill Way and John Horrocks Way bypass – past Lancashire Police HQ – before joining the A59 towards Longton.

It was later seen on the M6 at Knutsford in Cheshire as it continued its journey south.

What do the police and Army say about the convoy?

At one point in the video, a police officer escorting the Army trucks yells at a passenger filming the convoy from their car to “put your phone away!”. Pic credit: @CraftycutterukAt one point in the video, a police officer escorting the Army trucks yells at a passenger filming the convoy from their car to “put your phone away!”. Pic credit: @Craftycutteruk
At one point in the video, a police officer escorting the Army trucks yells at a passenger filming the convoy from their car to “put your phone away!”. Pic credit: @Craftycutteruk
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To find out more, we asked Lancashire Police who told us to contact the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) – a special police force responsible for security at nuclear sites and for security of nuclear materials in transit.

But the CNC said it was not aware of any convoy taking place today. “I have spoken to our control room who have no knowledge,” a spokesman told the Post.

After showing them the video, the force added: “I have checked and this is the Ministry of Defence Police not the CNC so you would need to speak to them I’m afraid.”

We reached out to the MOD Police– whose “primary focus is armed protection of critical Defence sites and assets” – but the force was staying tight-lipped and denied any knowledge of the convoy.

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The Post was then advised to contact the Directorate of Defence Communications, but our enquiry has so far gone unanswered.

At a dead end, we approached NukeWatch UK who monitor and track the movement of nuclear materials and armaments.

They said it was likely to be the MOD transporting nuclear materials from Aldermaston in Berkshire - home of the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) – to Coulport on the West coast of Scotland, where the UK’s nuclear warheads are stored for the Trident programme.

“Yes, this very much looks like the Ministry of Defence nuclear convoy,” said NukeWatch, adding, “the green coach is a command and emergency control vehicle.”

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It added that the trucks might be on their return journey to Berkshire and most likely empty, with no warheads or nuclear materials on board.

A similar convoy passed through Lancashire in March, shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but they are not a new occurrence. NukeWatch reports that they have been passing through Lancashire on the M6 for some years.