Anti-nuclear demonstration in Whitehaven

Anti nuclear campaigners Radiation Free Lakeland are demonstrating in Whitehaven against rights granted to a Cumbrian landfill which could see Scottish nuclear waste being dumped in the county.

The campaigners say they are showing their support for Cumbria County Council and Copeland Borough Council, who both objected to the proposals in 2011.

In that year the Environment Agency gave permission to FCC Environment landfill at Lillyhall to take in very low level nuclear waste and industrial waste from nuclear operations like Chapelcross in Scotland and Sellafield.

The NDA said today that no nuclear waste from Chapelcross has been taken to the Lillyhall site, but industrial waste from the decommissioned plant had.

A spokesperson form the NDA said:

“The Environment Agency granted a licence in 2011 for Lillyhall Landfill Site to take very low level waste (VLLW) alongside conventional industrial waste from nuclear licensed sites including Sellafield and Chapelcross.

“Consignments of conventional industrial waste and VLLW from Sellafield and Chapelcross are sent to one of three such licensed sites – FCC Environmental at Lillyhall, Sita at Clifton Marsh, Lancashire, or Augean at Kings Cliffe, Northamptonshire.

“Consignments from Chapelcross disposed of at Lillyhall under these arrangements have all been non-radiological, conventional industrial waste. These consignments stopped in early 2012 and are now being sent to Avondale in Scotland.”