The island of Swona has been seized by a fringe group of radical separatists seeking to establish it as an independent sovereign nation, it has emerged.

The Ministry of Defence has dispatched HMS Defender from Portsmouth. It is the only ship available due to government cuts, and not expected to be in the area for at least 30 hours. Members of the public are advised not to approach Swona by boat until the level of risk has been determined.

Due to the axing of the Nimrod fleet, the UK now has no dedicated maritime patrol aircraft, however a helicopter has been scrambled from Sumburgh on a reconnaissance mission.

This comes following incidents in December 2011 and January 2014 in which Russian warships entered Scottish waters. It has been speculated that Vladimir Putin was testing the response time of the Royal Navy and seeking to embarrass the UK government by highlighting the inadequacy of its border defences.

The coalition government in Westminster remains committed to spending in excess of £100 billion on a Trident replacement.

It is currently unknown what is transpiring on Swona.

Update: thanks to allied reinforcements, everything is under control.

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