News From The Celtic League - New Sellafield Concerns

This just published by the Celtic League:

NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE

NEW SELLAFIELD CONCERNS

The Manx branch of the Celtic League is to ask the Manx government what representations to the United Kingdom are ongoing following revelations last month about the hazardous nature of storage ponds at the Sellafield Plant. The issue was discussed at the (November 2014) monthly meeting of the branch

Photographs leaked to the Ecologist magazine in October revealed dilapidated nuclear waste storage ponds abandoned 40 years ago containing hundreds of tonnes of fuel rods which pose an immediate danger to public safety, photographs sent to The Ecologist reveal. The fuel and sludge in the ponds could spontaneously ignite if exposed to air, spreading intense radiation over a wide area.

The photographs published by the Ecologist showing decrepit and grossly inadequate storage facilities for high level nuclear waste at the nuclear plant.

The images, from an anonymous source, show the state of spent nuclear fuel storage ponds that were commissioned in 1952, and used until the mid-1970's as short term storage for spent fuel until it could be re-processed, producing plutonium for military use. However they were completely abandoned in the mid-1970s and have been left derelict for almost 40 years.

The photographs show cracked concrete tanks holding water contaminated with high levels of radiation, seagulls bathing on the water, broken equipment, a dangerous mess of discarded items on elevated walkways, and weeds growing around the tanks.
The fuel storage ponds, the largest measuring 20m wide, 150m long and 6m deep, are now completely packed with spent fuel in disastrously poor condition.

Periodically over the years both the Irish and Manx branches of the League together with the Celtic League General Council have expressed concern about both operational and maintenance issues at Sellafield.

J B Moffatt (Mr)
Director of Information
25/11/14

(Please note that replies to correspondence received by the League and posted on CL News are usually scanned hard copies. Obviously every effort is made to ensure the scanning process is accurate but sometimes errors do occur.)

ISSUED BY THE CELTIC LEAGUE INFORMATION SERVICE.

The Celtic League has branches in the six Celtic Countries. It works to promote cooperation between these countries and campaigns on a broad range of political, cultural and environmental matters. It highlights human rights abuse, monitors all military activity and focuses on socio-economic issues

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