Dredging cost hits Â£60m

DREDGING work to prepare Portsmouth for the arrival of the navy's two new supercarriers has cost the taxpayer Â£60m.

By The Newsroom

Published 4th Apr 2017, 06:00 BST

Updated 9th May 2017, 19:01 BST

The work to deepen the harbour has been going on for more than a year and is almost complete.

Once finished, it will be able to accommodate the two 65,000-tonne Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers for the duration of the life.

The details of the costs were confirmed by defence minister Harriett Baldwin following a question by Scottish National Party MP Douglas Chapman.

The project forms part of the overall £100m scheme to revamp the city’s naval base ahead of the arrival of the carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales.

Queen Elizabeth is due to arrive in Portsmouth by the end of the year.