Sellafield faces prosecution for dumping radioactive waste

Group claim computer error resulted was cause

Nuclear energy company Sellafield has pleaded guilty to charges of dumping radioactive waste in a landfill.

In April 2010, the group disposed of four bags containing contaminated materials including tissues and clothing in the Lillyhall landfill site in Workington, Cumbria, when they should have been sent to the low level waste repository at Drigg. Sellafield Ltd claim this error occurred due to a computer fault, which accidently labelled the bags as general waste. All four bags were retrieved as soon as the error was discovered and disposed of correctly, and no contamination was discovered in the landfill afterwards.

Sellafield Ltd blames the error on a new computer monitor

(Image source - The Guardian)

Ian Parker, nuclear regulation manager for the Environment Agency, said, ‘Our overriding aim in regulating the nuclear industry is to protect people and the environment from the release of radioactive wastes into the environment. We have carried out a thorough investigation in partnership with the Office for Nuclear Regulation and have already required Sellafield Ltd to take action to ensure this does not happen again’.

Sellafield will discover its fate on 8th March, when sentencing will take place at Carlisle Crown Court.

Nuclear industry in crisis?

Court action follows critical Commons report on plant 

A Commons committee has released a report criticising the management of Sellafield nuclear plant in Cumbria, just days before court action is due to start against the plant for illegal dumping of waste, in a week that could be devastating the reputation of the nuclear industry.

The report claims that Nuclear Management Partners (NMP), the private consortium that manages Sellafield, has failed in its task to reduce the rising costs and delays in dealing with waste and decommissioning facilities. The report points out that, out of the 14 major projects at Sellafield, 12 were behind schedule, five were over-budget and only two were actually running properly, despite the NMP being given £54m to cover fees.

The plant in Cumbria is facing claims of poor management and illegal dumping of waste

(Image source - www.visitcumbria.com)

Margret Hodge MP, chair of the committee, said ‘Taxpayers are not getting a good deal from the arrangement with Nuclear Management Partners. Furthermore, now that Cumbria county council has ruled out West Cumbria as the site of the proposed geological disposal facility, a solution to the problem of long-term storage of the waste is as far away as ever’.

The report, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority: Managing Risk at Sellafield, points out that about £1.6bn is being spent annually at the site, where a variety of hazardous materials, including 82 tonnes of plutonium, are kept. The total lifetime cost of dealing with this has continued to rise each year and has now reached £67.5bn.

The management at Sellafield will face further criticism when it appears in court this week facing nine charges relating to claims that four bags containing radioactive material were dumped in a landfill at Lillyhall without permission.