Sizewell B: police vans arrive at Sizewell
On 13th January, Greenpeace volunteers exposed the complete lack of security at Britain's flagship nuclear power station, Sizewell B, when they were able to walk en masse into the plant and easily gain access to the plant's control building and reactor dome. Disturbingly, this was the second time Greenpeace volunteers were able to break into the nuclear site. In October 2002, 140 volunteers encountered little security as they breached the perimenter fence and occupied rooftops.
Governments have known since the 1990's that terrorists have regarded nuclear power plants as potential targets. Since intelligence reports that the fourth hijacked plane involved in the September 11th 2001 attacks on the United States may have been heading for the nuclear plant at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania, this concern has increased. The UK Office of Civil Nuclear Security (part of the Department of Trade and Industry) have now had to admit that nuclear power plants are possible terrorist targets. The most likely scenarios for an attack range from insider sabotage or theft of nuclear materials to outside invasion or assault on a nuclear reactor or waste store.
