Dublin Southwest representative Seán Crowe TD has described the latest safety scare at Sellafield Nuclear plant as a case of ‘it raising its ugly head again’ and highlights once again the legitimate concerns about the threat from the British nuclear plant to those living in Ireland.
Deputy Seán Crowe said:
“Irish citizens woke up this morning to hear on the media that Sellafield has raised its ugly head again.
“Like the unwanted visitor, it pops up every so often creating another crisis, another unwanted scare.
“Already the stories are being written following this scare, that there is nothing to worry about and safety is allegedly their main concern.
“This plant is an unwelcome blot on the Irish Horizon and has all the potential of contributing to a ticking doomsday scenario.
“The Sellafield nuclear site is approximately 180km from Ireland’s coastline and there have numerous legitimate concerns at associated health risks to those living particularly on Ireland’s east coast.
“In recent years there have been a series of earthquakes in the Cumbria area where its located, which have added to the fears surrounding this plant.
“We also know from the from the British House of Commons Public Accounts Committee that the clean-up of the Sellafield Nuclear processing plant is years behind schedule and totally over budget as exposed in a recent damning report .
“This report raised serious safety concerns over ‘basic project management failings’ and said that ‘deadlines for cleaning up Sellafield have been missed’.
“Negative experiences have shown that Irish people have little faith in the bono fides British nuclear industry.
“This latest safety scare at Sellafield has, once again, raised concerns about the threat from this plant and others to those living in Ireland.
“It needs to close and the Irish Government need to convey that message to the British on a regular and routing basis.”