Residents react after huge military convoy spotted travelling through Preston

Residents reported seeing the convoy travelling along Eastway in Fulwood at around 4.25pm on Wednesday (March 23).

Footage of the convoy showed the fleet of dark green military vehicles was escorted by police and fire crews.

Speculation grew online as locals theorised what the convoy was for, from moving nuclear warheads to criminals being transported.

One person wrote: “It’s an army convoy, they must have some interesting stuff to get a police escort!”

Another said: “Ominous is the best way to describe what I saw yesterday.

“At first I thought it was just a criminal being transported, then I saw the trucks and then the support vehicles and realised it was something far more unnerving.

"The only conclusion I came to was nuclear weapons.”

One man added: “Nuclear weapons are moved in much, much more secure convoys than that by road – and with a certain specialised vehicle included.

“This is munitions.”

But NukeWatch – an organisation which tracks the movements of the UK's Trident nuclear warheads – said the convoy was returning to AWE Burghfield from RNAD Coulport.

The convoy reportedly set off to RNAD Coulport on Friday (March 18) carrying approximately six warheads across three carriers, with one truck spare as backup.

On it’s return journey to AWE Burghfield on Wednesday (March 23), the convoy allegedly took a “lengthy break" at Fulwood Barracks before leaving at around 7pm.

It was believed the purpose of the nuclear movement was likely refurbishment, not an attempt to arm the warheads in anticipation of a Russian attack.

The incident came as Boris Johnson urged allies to “step up” support against the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Prime Minister will use a Nato emergency summit in Brussels on Thursday (March 24) to commit to a new package, including 6,000 more missiles for Ukraine.

Mr Johnson will be joined by world leaders, including US President Joe Biden, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for worldwide demonstrations to mark a month since Russia launched its attack.

Mr Zelensky will remotely address the meeting, which is expected to sign off on the formation of four new battlegroups in eastern Europe, adding thousands more troops.

Speaking to broadcasters after landing in Belgium’s capital, Mr Johnson said: “Vladimir Putin is plainly determined to double down on his path of violence and aggression.”

Describing Mr Putin’s treatment of Ukrainians as “absolutely brutal”, he added: “We’ve got to step up. We’ve got to increase our support.

“We’ve got to tighten the economic vice around Putin, sanctioning more people today, as we are, sanctioning the Wagner Group, looking at what we can do to stop Putin using his gold reserves, and also doing more to help the Ukrainians defend themselves.”

Britain has already sent more than 4,000 anti-tank weapons to Ukraine, including next-generation light anti-tank weapons systems (Nlaws) and Javelin missiles.

It is also supplying and training Ukrainian troops in the use of Starstreak high-velocity anti-air missiles as well as providing body armour, helmets and combat boots.

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