If Russia did unleash a payload of nuclear missiles as it threatened to do today, this is the possible effect on many of the UK’s biggest cities
A nuclear strike on the UK as envisioned by fans of horror nuke film Threads (Image: StGuthlac2025/Reddit)
A new nuke map shows the devastating consequences for the UK’s major cities if a nuclear strike was ever unleashed on Britain.
Inspired by the announcement that nuclear horror film Threads is being remade for the 21st century, one glib Redditor has created a map which sets out the exact blast and fallout zones for atom bombings of major population centres across the country.
Threads is an apocalyptic movie released in the 1980s which shows, in gruesome detail, what would happen if a nuclear bomb were to be dropped on Sheffield in South Yorkshire.
Recently, Warp Films, the studio behind hit Netflix breakout Adolescence, has announced it’s remaking the nuke movie as a TV series.
And it comes as just today, Russia issued a terrifying warning to the UK, telling it that a nuclear strike is ‘inevitable’ because British armed forces are on the ground in Ukraine.
This week, Redditor u/StGuthlac2025 painstakingly put together a map showing the devastating effects of a full nuclear barrage on the UK. They said: “Was a little bored and read that they were going to do a reboot of Threads. So I made this to see what a modern strike may look like.
“Solid inner circle: Blast destruction zone. Buildings collapse, debris lethal. Dashed outer circle: Thermal burn zone. Severe/fatal burns and mass fire ignition. Burst type: Airburst (solid marker fill) maximises blast and thermal effects, minimal local fallout.
“Ground burst (faint marker fill): Smaller blast radius but produces radioactive fallout. Red = wave 1 targets, orange = wave 2 targets, black = wave 3 targets.”
Cities which would be all but wiped off the map include Sheffield, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, most of London, Cardiff, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Glasgow as well as Portsmouth, Plymouth and Swansea.
Areas which would escape this onslaught include St Davids and St Asaph in Wales, Truro in Cornwall and Matlock and Bakewell in Derbyshire as well as Chester, Worcester and Canterbury.
Some users were thankful they were in the blast zone. u/smushs88 said: “Based on OP’s map I’ve got about 3 landing square on me. Which is ideal, saves me from a post apocalyptic wasteland.” u/feralwest added: “I believe I’d be incinerated but having watched Threads many times, I feel that is tbh the best outcome. Noone wins in a nuclear war.”
The UK Government stresses that its nuclear deterrent would avoid such a catastrophe.
It says via gov.uk: “The UK’s independent nuclear deterrent has existed for over 60 years to deter the most extreme threats to our national security and way of life, helping to guarantee our safety, and that of our NATO allies.
“The risk of nuclear conflict remains remote, but the threats the UK faces are increasing in scale, diversity and complexity. That is why we must be able to deter the most extreme acts of aggression against us and our NATO allies.
“The UK has taken a consistent and leading approach on nuclear disarmament but not all states have followed. Some are significantly increasing and diversifying their nuclear capabilities. We must ensure they can never use their nuclear weapons to threaten us, constrain our decision making, or sponsor nuclear terrorism.
“It may sometimes feel that these threats are far removed from our daily lives, but the UK must have the capability to protect itself and our NATO allies. Deterrence plays a key role in keeping the public safe, and to abandon our nuclear deterrent would put us all at greater risk.
“Since April 1969, the Royal Navy has maintained continuous at sea deterrence, with at least one nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine patrolling the seas undetected at all times, ready to respond to the most extreme threats to the UK. Their fundamental purpose is to preserve peace, prevent coercion, and deter aggression.
“This continuous at sea deterrent (CASD) is the most capable, resilient, and cost-effective platform on which to deploy our independent nuclear deterrent.”
