Allen clashes with British ambassador

THE new British ambassador Stewart Eldon has clashed with Fine Gael environment spokesman Bernard Allen over the safety of Sellafield.

Responding to Deputy Allen's declaration that it was time for the Government to declare war on the British nuclear industry, Mr Eldon says the comments are unhelpful in light of the threat of terrorist attacks.

"Let us have the debate by all means, but let us do it against the background of proper scientific fact rather than declaring unconditional war on the British nuclear industry which is scarcely helpful in the context of efforts to prevent terrorist attacks," he says in a letter to the Cork North-Central TD.