Protesters descended on Bewley House this week with banners and calling for Chippenham-based firm MW Zander to abandon its involvement with the nuclear weapons industry.

Protesters say the company has been awarded a £20 million contract by the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) to build the Orion laser facility, at Aldermaston a massive building housing a laser hall which would be used to replicate conditions of a nuclear explosion.

Around a dozen members of the protest group Block The Builders, which is opposed to the creation of Orion, arrived at Bewley House in Marshfield Road at around 8.30am on Monday.

They spoke to passers by, waved placards, and handed in a letter asking the company to reconsider their contract.

Protester Sin Jones, from London, said: "Everyone was polite and we didn't try to stop anyone going in because we know other companies are based in the building."

For more than 25 years AWE has carried out research using the HELEN laser at Aldermaston, but they say it needs replacing.

The Ministry of Defence has approved the construction of the new Orion laser.

But the Block the Builders protesters fear the new laser will lead to the development of new nuclear weapons.

The letter they handed in to the company set out their views on the implications of the Orion contract.

"Unfortunately on the day of the protest the MW Zander project manager was at Aldermaston, but a man came down though he wouldn't comment. We asked for a reply for our letter," said Ms Jones.

A spokesman for MW Zander said they did not want to make any comment.