In Britain, there are estimated to be around 408 residential properties with their own nuclear shelter, with 98 of these located in the South West of England (Property Reporter, 2022).
In Switzerland, however, every municipality has had to build nuclear shelters for their residents since the 1960s. They are mandatory in large homes and residential buildings.
The head of civil and military security services in the Wallis region in Switzerland, Marie-Claude Noth-Ecoeur, commented that the shelter system “makes sense” and “we must keep them in a state of readiness” with the current global climate (Euro News, 2022).
Currently, there are around 360,000 communal nuclear shelters in Switzerland that are operational. In contrast, the UK reportedly has around 258 communal nuclear shelters (Subterranean Britannica). Every member of the Swiss population is therefore guaranteed shelter in the event of a nuclear war, and the nearest shelter is revealed at that time to the public via alarms and sirens, and an app on citizens’ mobile phones (I Am Expat, 2022).
In October 2022, a petition was rejected by the UK Government requesting underground nuclear bunkers for public use in case of threat of nuclear war; therefore, it is evident the UK public are worried about a place to shelter in the event of nuclear war (Petitions, UK Government and Parliament, 2022).
Should the UK be building nuclear shelters for new build properties?
The Panic Room Company director Paul Weldon comments: “we are seeing more and more demand for nuclear shelters in new build properties in the UK. People are concerned about the unpredictability of the future and want to be well-prepared. It would be beneficial for the UK to look to places like Switzerland that have the facilities in place in the event of nuclear war.”
To find out more about nuclear shelters and how you could incorporate one on your property, contact us on +44 (0) 1709 730260 or email firstname.lastname@example.org.