Diversion plans for waste trains

10:36am Tuesday 26th July 2005

A GREEN politician wants nuclear waste trains routed away from Lewisham because he fears they will become a target for terrorists.

Two hundred trains carrying spent nuclear fuel rods pass through Lewisham each year, according to London Assembly member Darren Johnson.

They start from Dungeness Power Station, passing through Chislehurst, Hither Green, Lewisham, Peckham Rye, Brixton, Kensington and Willesden Junction on the way to Sellafield nuclear plant.

Following the London bomb attacks, proposals to re-route the trains will be discussed as part of a full risk assessment to be carried out by the London Assembly and Mayor of London Ken Livingstone later this year.

Mr Johnson says the assessment, which could cost up to £35,000, is essential use of public money to help prevent a terrorist attack.

He added one of the key recommendations from a pre-September 11 study was "European government guidelines state nuclear waste trains should be diverted away from main centres of population".

Mr Johnson said: "It's a serious issue. I don't want to be a scaremonger but it would be catastrophic if these trains were attacked.

"That amount of radioactivity would affect people for years to come."

But Direct Rail Services, which has been transporting nuclear fuel since 1962, has assured the safety and security of its operations are the organisation's number one priority.

A spokesman said: "In the unlikely event of an accident involving a fuel flask, a single co-ordinated transport emergency plan exists for Great Britain.

"For security reasons it's not sensible to comment on specific anti-terrorist measures.

"But the operational arrangements, agreed with government departments, take into account perceived threats and are reviewed in light of the current climate."

FUEL FLASK FACTS:

The main activity at Sellafield is recycling used fuel from nuclear power stations worldwide.

The site also houses a series of plants which treat wastes and convert them into forms which can be disposed of safely.

All used nuclear fuel is transported in heavily shielded purpose-built containers, known as flasks. Constructed from forged steel more than 30cm thick, they weigh more than 50 tonnes and are used to transport an average of two tonnes of used fuel.

The testing criteria for flasks comply with regulations set by the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Department for Transport. They include being dropped onto concrete from 9m and exposed to temperatures of 800C for 30 minutes.