Protesters chain themselves to nuclear train

Four Greenpeace activists have chained themselves to a freight train due to carry a shipment of nuclear waste to France.

The protesters attached themselves to the wagon in a rail siding near the southern town of Wurzburg. Others climbed onto the wagon and unfurled banners calling for an end to the shipments.

The wagon was to be loaded with a container of spent nuclear fuel at the nearby Grafenrheinfeld nuclear power plant and sent with containers from two other plants to a reprocessing plant in the French port of La Hague.

Protesters are threatening a repeat of the massive demonstrations last month at the return of reprocessed waste to the Gorleben dump in northern Germany, the traditional focus of anti-nuclear protests.

That transport was delayed 18 hours by protesters who defied a huge police operation to attach themselves to the track using an elaborate system of pipes and chains. Police had to clear many more from sit-down protests.

Police in southern Germany said they would institute a "carry-away fee" for anyone blocking the tracks this time.

In addition to a fine of 150 marks (£47), protesters will pay an additional fee of between 62 and 124 marks ($20 and £40) depending on whether it takes one or two officers to haul them away.

Three years ago, the transports between France and Germany were halted after high levels of radiation were found to be leaking from the trains.

Protesters say the shipments are still unsafe and want Germany's nuclear plants shut down quickly.