Thousands of jobs at a Scottish naval base will be secured with the arrival of new state-of-the-art submarines, according to the government.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced, on Wednesday, that three new Astute class nuclear subs would be based at Faslane on the Clyde.

Defence Minister Adam Ingram said the decision to base them there followed an extensive review of naval base requirements.

The Clyde base, which is home to the Swiftsure and Vanguard class submarines, had been competing with Devonport in Plymouth for the new fleet.

Adam Ingram revealed the move in a written Westminster answer

The MoD ordered three Astute submarines in 1997 at a cost of �750m each to replace the Swiftsure class already based at Faslane.

Mr Ingram said: "With a planned life of 25 years for each submarine, this decision commits the navy to maintaining its historic presence on the Clyde and safeguards long-term job prospects for many of the base's 5,000 employees."

Last year, the ministry revealed plans to build a �300m centre at Faslane to train crew for the Astutes.

The first batch of three submarines is already on order and the first two submarines, HMS Astute and HMS Ambush, are being built at BAE Systems' yard at Barrow-in-Furness.

The ministry said all three would be operating out of Faslane within the next eight years.

MoD officials also revealed that a decision would be made later this year on plans to buy three more of the high-tech submarines.