This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/7025152.stm

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Plan to remove Dounreay particles Seabed hunt for nuclear particles
(about 13 hours later)
Dounreay's operator is to unveil its preferred option for cleaning up radioactive particles around the Caithness nuclear plant. The seabed around the Dounreay nuclear Plant in Caithness is to be scoured in a multi-million pound operation to clean up radioactive particles.
About 100 of the hotspots have been found on the nearby Sandside Beach since monitoring began. The UK Atomic Energy Authority plans to clear an area the size of 60 football pitches where it is believed the most hazardous material is.
It is thought the clean-up plan could involve a multi-million pound operation to dredge up part of the local seabed. Remotely-operated vehicles will be used to survey an area between Dounreay and nearby Sandside Beach.
The UK Atomic Energy Authority is also expected to announce an in-depth survey of the beach and more monitoring. The move has been welcomed by the beach's owner Geoffrey Minter.
About 100 particles have been removed from the beach along the coast from the Dounreay nuclear site since monitoring was ordered by environmental watchdogs. The recovery will be integrated with the remediation of the nuclear complex's old diffuser - thought to be the source of the contamination.
Final consultation will now take place on the seven year programme, which will also see the first ever in-depth survey of the beach and increased onshore monitoring.
It is thought that thousands more metallic fragments of reprocessed reactor fuel remain on the seabed.It is thought that thousands more metallic fragments of reprocessed reactor fuel remain on the seabed.
The 140-acre Caithness plant is being decommissioned at a cost of £2.9bn. The 140-acre (56 hectare) Caithness plant is being decommissioned at a cost of £2.9bn.