Capital commuters told of nuclear danger

Greenpeace publish nuclear waste train timetables for the whole of Britain

EVENING COMMUTERS at Kensington Olympia, Peckham Rye, Wandsworth Road and Denmark Hill stations were alerted today (26 July) by Greenpeace activists that the next train passing through their platform was carrying hazardous nuclear waste.

Passengers at the four stations heard the announcement, made through giant megaphones, informing them that:

"The next train to arrive will be the nuclear waste train to Sellafield from Dungeness. This weekly service carries extremely dangerous nuclear waste so please stand well back from the platform edge, behind the yellow line.

"If a train carrying this dangerous nuclear waste train were involved in a serious accident or terrorist attack, large areas of London would have to be evacuated and thousands could die. Yet Tony Blair wants to build more nuclear power plants and continue to send these nuclear waste trains through London for the next 100 years."

The Mayor of London is so concerned about the dangers posed by these nuclear waste trains, that the Greater London Authority is currently conducting a safety review into them. The barely protected train was trundling through the capital on its weekly journey to the Sellafield nuclear plant. It passes through many other commuter centres including Stafford and Lancaster train stations as well as past hospitals, back gardens and schools.

Last Friday, Greenpeace published on their website a full list of the timetables and routes of these trains as they travel every week, up and down the country.

Greenpeace nuclear campaigner Emma Gibson said:

"It beggars belief that highly hazardous nuclear waste is allowed to travel freely through London and the rest of the country. The effects of an attack or an accident on these mobile terrorist targets would be catastrophic, radiation could spread 100km and up to 8,000 people could die. In London, the whole capital could have to take shelter and vast areas would have to be evacuated.

"Allowing nuclear trains is already grossly irresponsible, yet Blair wants to build even more nuclear power stations, creating even more perilous radioactive waste, which could mean another 100 years of these trains coming through London."


For more information call the Greenpeace press office on 020 7865 8255.