The three reports examined site safety at Sellafield, problems surrounding storage of high level radioactive waste on the site and BNFL's falsification of safety data for plutonium fuel (MOX) sent to Japan.
The reports on site safety concluded that Sellafield suffers from poor management and a lack of effective inspection, auditing and review systems. The report on BNFL's falsification of safety records on last year's shipment of plutonium fuel to Japan, shows that the falsification probably began in 1996.
Pete Roche, Greenpeace Nuclear Campaigner said, "These reports are a shocking expose of Sellafield's plutonium business. This is a company that is dealing with one of the most hazardous materials known to mankind and they have been shown to be guilty of lax management and falsifying records.
"The Government must now act decisively to end nuclear reprocessing and also refuse BNFL the go-ahead to start commercial production of MOX fuel (1).
"A mere management reshuffle would be like rearranging the chairs on the deck of the Titanic. The fact is that plutonium, once thought to be more valuable than gold, is now worse than useless. This is a dangerous, dirty trade that should be confined to the dustbin of history."
Notes for editors:
(1) - The MOX fuel that is at the centre of the Japanese furore comes from a 'MOX Demonstration Facility' at Sellafield. BNFL are still awaiting permission from the government to start up a full scale MOX plant, which they have already constructed.
(2) Greenpeace opposes the development of MOX fuel on environmental grounds and also because it undermines international attempts to control nuclear weapons. This is because plutonium, can be easily extracted from MOX fuel rods and used to make nuclear devices.
