Nuclear material from Sellafield could be stolen, report warns

NUCLEAR material could have been stolen from Sellafield and used to make bombs without the knowledge of the British Nuclear Group, according to a European Commission report.

The commission yesterday issued a warning to the company that manages Sellafield over its poor accounting standards.

BNG was given four months to improve its systems and six months to implement changes.

Significantly, the commission could eventually put Sellafield, one of the largest nuclear engineering centres in the world, into administration - appointing personnel to ensure that changes take place.

Under the Euratom Treaty, the commission must make sure proper accounting and administrative procedures are in place to ensure that nuclear materials do not go missing.

In a statement, the commission said it carried out a series of inspections at the Sellafield plant and found its procedures did not meet Euratom standards.

Energy spokesperson Ferran Tarradellas, said: “The system was not adequate to ensure nuclear materials are not diverted from the peaceful uses for which they have been intended.”

Two years ago, BNG could not account for 84,000 litres of plutonium and uranium in nitric acid at the Thorp reprocessing plant, in Sellafield, due to an accounting error.

It was discovered later in a containment pond.

The commission has no power to take action over safety issues.

Environment Minister Dick Roche welcomed the warning but urged the commission to refer the British Government to the European Court of Justice regarding a similar issue, which it promised to do last September.

Labour MEP Proinsias De Rossa said the commissioner could and should do more on the Sellafield issue.

Fianna Fáil MEP Liam Aylward said the formal warning was a step in the right direction.