What would happen if Gwent was nuked?

Even at the peak of tensions, one would be forgiven for thinking that a nuclear holocaust of Gwent was particularly unlikely.

Indeed, a list of likely targets was drawn up in 1972 with no sign of Newport, Chepstow, or Caerphilly.

However, nearby Cardiff and Bristol were listed as targets so Gwent was not far from the potential nuclear blasts and could be hit by accident.

And, with tensions between the West and Russia rising, some may be slightly concerned about the possibility of a nuclear exchange.

Though this is extremely unlikely, some may be curious to know exactly what would happen if a nuclear bomb detonated where they live.

An organisation called Outrider have built a simulation of what would happen if various nuclear weapons are detonated wherever you live - simply type in your location and postcode and watch the virtual devastation.

There are two types of detonation: surface and air burst (a detonation so high up that the explosion does not touch the ground).

A surface detonation causes more radioactive fallout and has more concentrated destructive capabilities, but an air burst causes more overpressure over a larger area.

Each bomb is rated by kilotons and one kiloton is proportional to 1,000 tons of TNT.

Without further ado, here's what the damage would be if the major areas of Gwent suddenly and inexplicably became targets of a nuclear attack.

Newport

Bye bye Newport (and most of South Wales)

If the aggressors decided to go old-school and use a bomb comparable to the first ever nuclear weapon used in war - Little Boy - then a ground detonation in Newport would kill a predicted 10,384 people and injure 21,686 more.

An air burst would cause 18,642 deaths and 42,659 injuries, though the radioactive fallout would be cast over a smaller area.

A modern 300 kiloton surface attack would cause 56,489 deaths, 53,403 injuries and create a shockwave of 11.39 square miles.

An air burst would cause 68,709 deaths and 103,035 fatalities, with an extremely small amount of radioactive fallout.

If the attack came from Russia and they decided to go all-out and use the most powerful nuclear bomb in history, then Newport and most of the surrounding area would basically cease to exist.

The infamous 50,000 kiloton 'Tsar Bomba' would obliterate Gwent and most of South Wales if dropped, with estimated fatalities reaching a horrifying 706,774 and 1,484,579 injuries from an air burst.

Caerphilly

The wrath of North Korea

As the population is a bit less concentrated than in Newport, a nuclear detonation in Caerphilly would cause fewer immediate deaths but more injuries.

A 300 kiloton air burst would kill 50,511 and injure 202,547.

A surface detonation would result in 44,720 deaths and 50,991, leaving a radioactive fallout zone of 5.56 square miles.

The results are only marginally less bleak if North Korea rather enigmatically decided that Caerphilly deserves a 240 kiloton attack.

A North Korean bomb is estimated to cause 41,493 deaths and 40,457 injuries in a surface attack and 46,080 fatalities and 178,903 injuries in an air burst.

Cwmbran

The Cwmbran fall out

If a hostile state decided that they disliked Cwmbran so much that they were willing to drop a 300 kiloton bomb on it, the results would be devastating.

A 300 kiloton air burst over Cwmbran would likely kill 48,289 people and injure a further 102,204.

The heat from the blast would reach Risca and Caerleon, as well as deep into Newport.

A surface blast would immediately kill 42,925 people with far fewer injuries estimated at 39,481.

If the 15 kiloton 'Little Boy' bomb that devasted Hiroshima detonated over Cwmbran, 15,842 people would lose their lives and 27,836 people would be injured.

This pales in comparison to the impact the bomb had on the Japanese city, where around 80,000 people were killed instantly.

Ebbw Vale

Ebbw Vale but if it was a radioactive wasteland

A 300 kilton airburst would destroy much of Ebbw Vale, with Victoria, Blaina, Rassau and Brynmawr all within range of the shockwave.

Casualties are estimated to be 36,387 deaths and 60,920 injuries.

A surface blast would cause fewer casualties with 28,367 deaths and 26,499 injuries, but the radiactive fallout would reach as far as Sirhowy.

An air burst from the 'Tsar Bomba' would rather predictably annihlate the area with the intense heat from the blast being felt as far as Neath and also in England.

The heat from the blast would cause third degree burns for anyone caught in the radius and would also cause multiple fires to break out.

Chepstow

Even a 15 kiloton bomb would devastate Chepstow

Chepstow is not the biggest place, so pretty much any sort of direct nuclear attack is basically game over.

A 300 kiloton air burst over Chepstow is estimated to result in 10,856 fatalities and 30,447 injuries.

Even the much smaller 15 kiloton 'Little Boy' would cause devastation to the area, leaving a predicted 4,937 dead and 5,249 injured.

If North Korea decide that taking out Caerphilly wasn't enough, their 240 kiloton hydrogen bomb would cause a similar amount of deaths as the 300 kilton bomb would.

An air burst would cause 10,080 deaths and 24,953 injuries.

What can you do?

In the quite frankly bizarre event of Wales being threatened with nuclear attack, we do not have the air-raid style sirens present in the USA, Japan and South Korea.

It's more likely that TV and radio would immediately switch over to the news.

The best thing you can do is stay inside behind the thickest walls you can find and stay away from windows.

Avoid looking at the explosion and consider hunkering down in a cellar.

Previous advice in the 1980s included filling a bathtub up with water and stocking up on canned food and warm clothes.

Radioactive fallout is most dangerous in the immediate two weeks following a nuclear blast, with the radiation reducing to just one per cent of its original strength after this amount of time.

Realistically, if caught near the main explosion, there really isn't much chance to do anything.

If anything as powerful as the 'Tsar Bomba' is used, then Gwent and indeed large parts of the UK have had it.

To find out more and to play around with the interactive nuclear bomb map yourself, visit the Outrider page here.