What would happen if a nuclear weapon hit County Durham?

In a seven-minute televised address aired earlier this week, Mr Putin ordered a partial mobilisation of up to 300,000 reservists and said that Russia would defend its territory if occupied regions of Ukraine voted in favour of being annexed by the Russians.

While many people might not have even seen the Russian president’s words – an online site was busy mapping what parts of the world could look like if they were hit with a nuclear weapon.

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So, the question stands, what would happen if County Durham was hit with a nuclear weapon?

Using an interactive website, Nukemap, it allows people to simulate the effects of a nuclear warhead being dropped on any location.

If a Topol SS-25 missile with an 800-kiloton warhead, currently in the Russian arsenal, exploded above County Durham, an estimated 55,980 people would be killed, with a further 205,340 injured, according to Nukemap.

The scale of the nuclear blast. Picture: NUKEBLAST (Image: NUKEBLAST)

On the map, the initial fireball would instantly vaporise everything in a half a mile radius, including Durham Cathedral, Durham Castle, and everything inside the city.

Anyone within a seven-mile radius would suffer third-degree burns, including people in Ushaw Moor, Sacriston, Brancepeth, and Bowburn, while people more than 12 miles away in Chester-le-Street, Spennymoor, Willington, and Coxhoe would receive the equivalent of a sunburn due to the intense heat.

A blast shockwave would then result, causing most residential buildings to collapse in a four-mile radius, with fires erupting across the affected area.

This would impact areas as far as Bishop Auckland, Newton Aycliffe, and Crook.

Some 11 miles away from the epicentre of the explosion, glass windows would be smashed, causing injuries and exposing houses to the effects of radioactive fallout.

Flying glass is extremely dangerous, causing most civilian injuries during the Second World War.

Along with the heat and blast would come radiation, which would be carried by the wind. The effects would cause radiation sickness followed by death for those left alive after the blast and caught in its path.

While the UK government has not issued any advice on personal safety in event of nuclear war since the end of the Cold War, the US Department of Homeland Security says that people should get inside, stay inside and stay tuned to radio stations for official information.

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