Labour seeks EU moves to protect Ireland from Sellafield

The Labour Party is calling for EU action to protect the Irish public from risks posed by the Sellafield nuclear plant.

Labour MEP Pronsias de Rossa told the European Parliament in Strasbourg yesterday that safety standards at the controversial facility are unacceptably low.

He said the need for stricter regulations was highlighted by recent revelations that 83,000 litres of radioactive material containing 20 tonnes of uranium had been leaking into a tank without being noticed for 10 months.

"This is not an acceptable level of safety in an industry where safety failures can have catastrophic outcomes," he said.