South Down Margaret Ritchie (SDLP) has described the discovery of radioactive material on public beaches as deeply worrying and has called for the British Government to act urgently to address the situation at Sellafield.
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South Down MP Margaret Ritchie is concerned about radioactivity levels in Cumbria’s beaches.[/caption]
Ms Ritchie said: “It is becoming increasingly apparent that conditions at the Sellafield plant are degrading and public safety is under threat as a result. The discovery of irradiated material on public beaches this year should be a huge cause for concern, especially to those of us on the east coast of Ireland who have suffered the consequences of indiscriminate discharges of radioactive waste from the plant for decades.
“The discovery of rocks with the highest level of Caesium 137 detected in monitoring for over a decade is a solid statement that the Sellafield plant is not safe. This comes on the back of photographs a few weeks ago which revealed large cracks in concrete tanks surrounding volatile nuclear waste storage ponds.
“The foolhardy nuclear policy of this British Government is putting public safety at risk. I have brought the safety of the Sellafield site to the attention of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority on previous occasions. I will again be raising this with them and with the British Government at the very highest level,” added Ms Ritchie.
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