The peaceful direct action started at 7am, and long tailbacks formed as workers arriving for the morning had to use an alternative entrance, bringing traffic speeds to below walking pace.

The noise of an angle-grinder and hammering can be heard from behind the screens that the Ministry of Defence Police have put up around the protesters. Cutting the tubes will not be quick and it is expected that the entrance will be blocked for another few hours.

Three of the protesters are residents of Faslane Peace Camp while another two are visitors from Edinburgh. All are linked by hands through steel tubes across the roadway preventing vehicle access. One banner reads "Masses of WMD's Here!" with obvious references to the recent invasion of Iraq and the lack of WMD's found there.

A spokesperson continued, "Look at the military and humanitarian disaster that the US and UK have made in Iraq. UK policies to its own WMD's (Trident nuclear weapons) are another disaster, encouraging their proliferation and development worldwide with all the obvious dangers that entails."