GOVERNMENT ministers insist that the River Clyde’s shipping lanes are clear of unexploded wartime bombs.

The reassurance comes after the matter was raised by Inverclyde MP Ronnie Cowan, but he is demanding further action.

The SNP man arranged a meeting with ministers after the Ministry of Defence (MoD) admitted that only 20 per cent of the bombs dropped along the UK coast had been accounted for.

The MP is worried about the safety of nuclear submarines going up and down the Clyde, and also concerned that dozens of his constituents had to be evacuated from their homes in Gourock last year after a sea mine was found by divers off the town.

He met Philip Dunne, minister for defence procurement, and Penny Mordaunt, minister for the armed forces.

Mr Cowan told the Tele: “I pressed the case for greater scrutiny and transparency of the river with regards to unexploded ordnance and asked for assurances that the MoD is undertaking safety assessments.

“I was somewhat reassured by the guarantee that military and commercial shipping lanes are clear and monitored.

“However, the meeting only served to reinforce my views that our coastal waters are laden with ordnance, and further and continued monitoring from the MoD is essential.”

Mr Cowan now plans to take the issue further.

He said: “I will now be raising it with local maritime agencies to ask for their thoughts on this important matter.

“While unexploded ordnance poses a low risk, the mine found near Gourock shows why the UK Government must not be complacent, especially as the Clyde is used routinely by Britain’s nuclear submarines.”

The government says it makes ‘continuous attempts’ to ensure that any potential threats to submarines are monitored.