Defence Secretary John Healey says three Russian submarines carried out a "covert" operation above cables and pipelines in the Atlantic, north of the UK, lasting longer than a month

Healey says he deployed a warship and aircraft in response, and the Russian vessels were "monitored 24/7"

He says there is "no evidence" of any damage to UK infrastructure in the Atlantic - here's a recap of the Downing Street news conference

"Our armed forces left them in no doubt that they were being monitored, that their movements were not covert, as President Putin planned, and that their attempted secret operation had been exposed," says Healey

And in a message to Putin, he adds: "We see your activity over our cables and our pipelines, and you should know that any attempt to damage them will not be tolerated and will have serious consequences"

Defence secretary reveals month-long Russian submarine operation over cables and pipelines north of UK