The Rev. Samuel Siroky was escorted off Faslane by police after he lay down on the road outside the Clydeside base on Monday morning.

The Czech Republic-born Christian was held in a police cell for the day before being released later that evening.

He, his wife, Ester, and their five children were taking part in an end-of-year protest at the site.

Mr Siroky was arrested at about 10.30am when he lay down on the road outside the main north gate.

The minister, who has never been arrested before, was taken to Partick police station and released just after 6pm.

He and others from the multi-denominational Clergy Action for Justice and Peace had been worshipping and taking holy communion just outside the base.

He explained: "We were near the gate. You see the police carrying people away and people are jeering and cheering, and you see the gate and know what's behind it and what it can do. It made me think, 'I need to do more, I want to make clear what my stance on this issue is'."

But he and Ester, who was asked to leave a Glasgow shopping centre for wearing a peace flag earlier this year, realised they couldn't both go forward.

"It was a spur-of-the-moment thing. I said I would go. I tried to get as close to the gate which the police were trying to block us from. Another three people came with me and we just sat down. I was lying on the road and it was very peaceful.

"The police asked us to leave and said if we didn't they would arrest us. They didn't carry us away, we said we would walk away with them."

The demonstration continued until 3pm and his family only learned where he was after it finished.

The minister has long been opposed to nuclear weapons, but started campaigning more actively when he took up the Valleys post.

He said: "Being a minister goes hand in hand with being against, in my opinion, evil which these weapons of mass destruction are.

"I'm really proud to be a minister of a church which has a stance against nuclear weapons. Our moderator is actively against Trident and the General Assembly this year supported Trident not being renewed."

He continued: "Nuclear weapons are not only evil and simply wrong, they are also illegal, in my eyes, as all the countries with them signed a declaration that they would gradually reduce them, but they're not, they're renewing them.

"But with the destruction they cause, they can never by used by anyone in their right mind, therefore they are not a deterrent because everybody knows they will never be used.

"For me this is such a black-and-white issue. I can't do otherwise than raise the issue with people around me.

"I come from a country where this (peaceful campaigning) has brought a communist oppressive regime to a fair, democratic country, so I know full well how it seems useless, but it does change things."

He says he is prepared to be arrested again.

"If it was something I felt strongly about then yes, I would."