John Tanner, the Lord Mayor of Oxford, has warned the city is at risk of a radiation leak because nuclear weapons are being carried on local roads.

Mr Tanner said scores of military convoys had used the A34 and M40 to transport weapons of mass destruction.

And he claimed an accident was inevitable, leaving the city in danger of the aftermath of a radiation spill.

Mr Tanner revealed his fears ahead of tonight's English premiere in Oxford of an anti-nuclear film Deadly Cargo, in which he appears.

The short film has been created by NukeWatch, whose members track the convoys across the UK.

Mr Tanner was interviewed as a long-term member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

He said: "One day it is quite likely there will be an accident and there could be a release of radiation.

"It seems to be it is only a matter of time.

"There is a danger to the public - if we got rid of nuclear weapons Oxfordshire's roads would be safer."

A MoD spokesman said: "Any movement of nuclear material uses the safest means of transportation and the MoD works closely with organisations such as the police to ensure the security of nuclear convoys.

"There have been no incidents that have led to, or come close to leading to, the release of radioactive material to the environment."

Mr Tanner said scores of military convoys had transported weapons from the Atomic Weapons Establishment near Burghfield in Reading, to a nuclear submarine base in Scotland.

NukeWatch member Nigel Day, 60, of Harpsichord Place, St Clement's, Oxford, said the last convoy had appeared in Oxfordshire late last year.

Mr Tanner added: "I think nuclear weapons have dropped out of people's awareness - we have enough to worry about with the credit crunch and climate change. It is not in the headlines any more."

Tonight's screening of Deadly Cargo at the Phoenix Picturehouse in Walton Street, Jericho, starts at 6pm. Entry is free.