According to figures obtained by a national newspaper, there were 105 ‘nuclear safety events’ officially recorded at the Faslane and Coulport submarine and bomb bases in 2013-14, compared to 68 in 2012-13.

Most of the incidents last year (99) involved the reactors that power Trident and other Royal Navy submarines. The remaining six involved nuclear weapons, which are carried by Trident submarines and stored at Coulport.

The MoD has not given details of all the incidents, but a spokesman dismissed the focus on the number of incidents, stressing that they were minor and did not endanger the health of workers or the public. He said the ‘rigorous system’ for recording incidents shows how seriously they take ‘all aspects of nuclear safety’.

Forty-five of the events in 2013-14 were categorised as level C, meaning there was ‘moderate potential for future release or exposure, or localised release within a designated radiological controlled area’.

The other 60 incidents were classified as level D. This is defined by the MoD as ‘low potential for release - but may contribute towards an adverse trend producing latent conditions’.

John Ainslie, coordinator of the Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, argued that the risk of a major accident on the Clyde was increasing. “This could result in lethal radiation spreading across large parts of Scotland,” he said.

“The public should be protected by the highest safety standards at Faslane and Coulport. This should be improving each year, not getting worse.” However, Lomond North councillor George Freeman said that there has been no ‘serious concerns’ raised at meetings with the MoD. He added: “It must be borne in mind that by far the majority of incidents that are recorded are very minor issues that have no direct link to nuclear safety. Having said that, I am aware that there are many organisations such as CND and others who wish to try and highlight these issues so as to try and increase the opposition to anything classed as ‘nuclear’.” A spokesman for HMNB Clyde said: “It is entirely misleading to focus only on the number of incidents detailed in these reports, as they include very minor issues such as the failure to fill out the correct form before painting works began.

“This rigorous system shows how seriously the MoD takes all aspects of nuclear safety, ensuring lessons are learned, and we can be clear that none of the events in the reports posed any risk to the health of our personnel, or to any members of the public.” Following the news, at First Ministers Questions on Friday Stuart McMillan, West of Scotland SNP MSP said: “The safety of the local community should be paramount but there are some serious concerns regarding both Faslane and the transport of nuclear weapons.

He added: “As well as the concerns over the increase in safety incidents at Faslane, there was also a nuclear convoy travelling over the Erskine bridge in January at a time when the bridge was closed to high-sided vehicles due to high winds.

“The First Minister agreed with me that this dangerous act, along with the environmental concerns, shows us just how dangerous and damaging it is to have these weapons of mass destruction in our waters, and that that is why they should be scrapped.

“Instead of wasting over £100billion on a new generation of nuclear weapons – as the UK parties want to do – we should invest in our economy and public services.” Gemma Doyle MP said: “We should have full disclosure on all safety incidents. This calls into question the wisdom of continually extending the life of the reactors on the submarines and the decision to cut back the service provided by Scotland’s Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards in Glasgow which I have raised in parliament.”