Brits urged to prepare 72-hour 'survival kit' over fears of Russian sabotage

The UK's increasing reliance on imported gas could make it particularly vulnerable to Russian gas pipeline sabotage, security experts have warned.

Advisors have urged Brits to follow the example of EU leaders who have told citizens to pack in case of blackouts from sabotage of underwater pipes transporting gas to the UK. Around 40% of the country's gas supply comes from Norway, including through the 700-mile Langeled pipeline. The North Sea infrastructure helped Britain to keep the lights on over the winter after the Government's drive towards Net Zero saw the UK's last coal-fired power station close in September.

Cold and dark winter weather saw margins between demand and homegrown electricity supply, including from solar panels and wind turbines, narrow to precarious levels as a result. The close call has escalated fears of Russian sabotage - which wouldn't be unprecedented after the Kremlin was linked to a number of cable and pipeline incidents in the northern arm of the Atlantic over the last two years, rendering inoperable.

Moscow has also been accused of putting listening devices on offshore UK wind turbines to track British submarines and spy ship Yantar has reportedly to map the location of critical supply lines.

The Government is expected to factor the protection of undersea infrastructure into its later this year, but the overhanging threat of Russian sabotage has driven experts to warn people in the UK to begin preparing for the worst.

"We know that the Russians are active in the North Sea and have the power to cripple our energy links," a source told .

"We need to become much more self-sufficient, and quickly," they added. "And households should be ready for all eventualities."

This could include putting together an emergency survival kit, as recommended by the European Commission for 72 hours of self-sufficiency in a crisis. The initiative, which the EU said would help to prepare its citizens for natural disasters, cyber attacks and global conflicts, includes compiling cash, a radio with batteries, a flashlight, a first-aid kit, non-perishable food and board games to pass the time.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband's dogged determination to make Britain a "clean energy superpower" by decreasing fossil fuel usage to less than 5% by 2030 has been criticised for its capacity to weaken the country's energy independence in the short term.

The unreliable production of solar and wind power - depending on weather conditions - could drive up the UK's reliance on energy imports, experts said, suggesting the country's power supply is currently "propped up" on gas shipped overseas from Qatar or the US.

"We are [also] now massively dependent on electricity imports and we are going to become more dependent on those imports," another source said.

"The director general of MI5 has warned about GRU [Russia's military intelligence service] tactics in western countries, including sabotage or arson. Energy infrastructure is a sitting duck."

A Government spokesperson said investing in clean power would "boost our security and bring down bills". "It also removes any dependency on hostile states, which we are countering further in the case of Russia by supporting Ukraine, standing by our Nato allies at disrupting Russian malign activity," they added.