Public pressure forced the subs' removal almost two years ago

The Royal Navy wants to reopen Southampton dock's Z berth, which closed almost two years ago.

If the go-ahead is given any of the Royal Navy's 15 Trafalgar-class or Swiftsure-class submarines could visit Southampton - as well as foreign submarines carrying nuclear weapons.

Southampton City Council had forced the navy to remove nuclear submarines from the dock's Z berth after pressure from local residents.

Plans criticised

When the navy plans were first proposed in November, they were severely criticised by Dr John Large, a nuclear expert who has advised the Royal Navy and helped Russia raise the Kursk submarine.

He said: "It is ridiculous to sail a submarine with a nuclear reactor system into a major city of 200,000 souls.

"Nothing makes the Royal Navy immune from mistakes. Chernobyl wasn't designed to blow up and the Kursk wasn't designed to sink."

However, a Royal Navy spokesman argued the chance of an accident was very remote.

He said: "Our safety measures are continually reviewed and upgraded.

"People in Portsmouth are used to British and American nuclear submarines coming in and out of the naval base there."