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Sellafield nuclear site has 'elevated levels of radioactivity' Sellafield nuclear site has elevated levels of radioactivity
(35 minutes later)
The Sellafield nuclear site is being operated at "reduced manning levels" following "the detection of elevated levels of radioactivity" overnight. The Sellafield nuclear site is being operated with a reduced number of staff following the detection overnight of elevated levels of radioactivity.
Non-essential staff are being told not to come to work, although a spokesperson for the site said this was a precautionary measure. He said it was unclear how long the plant would operate with reduced staffing and added that the radiation levels were too low to be a danger to staff or the public. Nonessential staff are being told not to come to work, although a spokesperson for the site said this was a precautionary measure. He said it was unclear how long the plant would operate with reduced staffing and added that the radiation levels were too low to be a danger to staff or the public.
The operator, Sellafield Ltd, said in a statement: "As a result of a conservative and prudent decision, the Sellafield site is operating normally but with reduced manning levels today. The operator, Sellafield Ltd, said in a statement: "As a result of a conservative and prudent decision, the Sellafield site is operating normally but with reduced manning levels today. This follows the detection of elevated levels of radioactivity at one of the on-site radiation monitors at the north end of the site. Essential workers only are being asked to report for work.
"This follows the detection of elevated levels of radioactivity at one of the on-site radiation monitors at the north end of the site. Essential workers only are being asked to report for work. "Levels of radioactivity detected are above naturally occurring radiation but well below that which would call for any actions to be taken by the workforce on or off the site. The site is at normal status and employees and operational plants are continuing to operate as investigations continue. All our facilities have positively confirmed there are no abnormal conditions and are operating normally."
"Levels of radioactivity detected are above naturally occurring radiation but well below that which would call for any actions to be taken by the workforce on or off the site. A spokeswoman for the Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) confirmed the elevated radioactivity but said they were "well below levels of concern". The plant was still operating and not offline, she said, but all non-essential staff had been asked to leave the site.
"The site is at normal status and employees and operational plants are continuing to operate as investigations continue. All our facilities have positively confirmed there are no abnormal conditions and are operating normally." The union that represents for 5,000 staff at Sellafield, Prospect, welcomed the decision to ask non-essential staff to stay at home.
A Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) spokeswoman confirmed the elevated levels of radioactivity but said they were "well below levels of concern". The plant was still operating and not offline, she said, but all non-essential staff had been asked to leave the site. Prospect's national secretary, Gill Wood, said: "Higher than normal radiation readings have been detected at one monitor at a perimeter fence. As a precaution, non-essential staff have been advised to stay at home today while the relevant specialist team investigates. The company's decision to partially close some areas at the site is a precautionary and measured decision and a safety measure that is recognised worldwide."
The News and Star newspaper reported that around 8,000 workers were affected, but the Decc spokeswoman was unable to confirm that figure.The News and Star newspaper reported that around 8,000 workers were affected, but the Decc spokeswoman was unable to confirm that figure.
A worker on the site said an air sampler on a perimeter fence had detected a problem, which led to staff being told to stay away. A worker on the site said an air sampler on a perimeter fence had detected the raised levels.
The management at the Sellafield plant has come in for fierce criticism over the past year from the Public Accounts Committee. The management at the Sellafield plant has come in for fierce criticism over the past year from parliament's public accounts committee. In a report in February last year MPs said Nuclear Management Partners (NMP), the private consortium managing Sellafield, had failed to stem rising costs and delays in dealing with waste and the decommissioning of facilities.
In a report in February last year MPs said that Nuclear Management Partners (NMP), the private consortium managing Sellafield, had failed to stem rising costs and delays in dealing with waste and the decommissioning of facilities. Margaret Hodge, the committee's chair, said at the time that taxpayers were not getting a good deal. "It is unclear how long it will take to deal with hazardous radioactive waste at Sellafield or how much it will cost the taxpayer. Of the 14 current major projects, 12 were behind schedule in the last year and five of those were over budget."
Margaret Hodge MP, the committee's chair, said at the time that taxpayers were not getting a good deal. "It is unclear how long it will take to deal with hazardous radioactive waste at Sellafield or how much it will cost the taxpayer. Of the 14 current major projects, 12 were behind schedule in the last year and five of those were over budget." The MPs said they suspected that the NDA, a public sector body established to oversee the safe dismantling of the UK's old nuclear power stations and deal with waste, did not have a tight enough rein on NMP, a consortium made up of Amec of Britain, Areva of France and the US firm URS, to properly control costs.
The MPs' committee is suspicious that the NDA, a public sector body established to oversee the safe dismantling of the UK's old nuclear power stations and deal with waste, does not have a tight enough rein on NMP – a consortium made up of Amec of Britain, Areva of France and the US firm URS – to properly control costs. The timing of the radioactivity warning may prove embarrassing for David Cameron, who is meeting the French president, François Hollande, to discuss the country's joint efforts on nuclear power at a pub lunch in Oxfordshire. The UK and France signed an agreement in 2012 to work together on civil nuclear energy, and the largely French state-owned EDF is building the UK's first new nuclear power plant in decades at Hinkley Point in Somerset.