A MID Cheshire campaigner is calling on the public to fight plans to renew Britain's nuclear defence system.

Joan Henry, a Quaker who has campaigned for the Government to honour the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, spoke out against Labour plans to spend £20billion updating the country's submarine-based Trident nuclear missile system.

Joan, of Northwich, said: 'The 1969 treaty to abolish nuclear weapons is still in operation yet this goes against it. We don't need these weapons and the price we will pay for them is far too high - these are weapons that can only be used in the last war.

'I know that they are seen as a deterrent but all it would take is for the nuclear powers to be strong for us not to need one as there'd be nothing to deter.'

Prime Minister Tony Blair said the nukes were needed as the world is now more dangerous than during the Cold War, with threat from terrorists, North Korea and Iran, which he says is breaching its 'non-proliferation' duties. He added: 'It would be unwise and dangerous for Britain to give up its independent nuclear deterrent.'

Mrs Henry said: 'We are sitting on weapons of mass destruction, but what for? We hear that they are a deterrent but against who?

'How can we use them to deter terrorists who are moving around all the time? The world might be a more dangerous place but these weapons won't deter people who don't believe they will be used.

'People should lobby their MPs - think what we could do to health or education with the £20bn we are spending.'

Middlewich MP Ann Winter-ton said she agreed with Mr Blair but was unsure whether the Trident was the best option, saying: 'It is very difficult to imagine what the world will be like in 30-40 years and this is an insurance policy - very expensive at the moment but one which may well prove good value in the future.'

Weaver Vale Labour MP Mike Hall said: 'I haven't fully made my mind up. We have to look at whether a major threat remains that can only be dealt with by nuclear weapons and whether it will be worth the cost over the next 10-15 years.

'The world is still a very dangerous place - maybe even more so than during the Cold War - and I also believe that this move now leaves our options open for the future.'