Irish Examiner view: Answers are needed on nuclear site

The Sellafield multi-purpose nuclear site in Cumbria in the UK has a long and well-documented history of controversy, and the findings of a recent report have renewed many of the concerns which have long been voiced

Sited on a 6 sq km site on the Cumbrian coast and employing 11,000 people, Sellafield stores and treats nuclear waste from a variety of sources, including waste from weapons programmes. Picture: Peter Byrne/PA

As we await the outcome of the lengthy UN Cop28 discussions in Dubai with increasing trepidation, Ireland has cause to focus on a potentially massive environmental problem on its own doorstep.

The Sellafield (formerly Windscale) multi-purpose nuclear site in Cumbria in the UK has a long and well-documented history of controversy and catastrophe, and the findings of a recent report into the on-site activities there has renewed many of the considerable concerns which have long been voiced about the facility.