BNFL

Britain is likely to come under fierce criticism this week for its failure to tackle nuclear pollution in the north east Atlantic Ocean. At this week's international meeting of European environment ministers (23rd-27th June), Germany and Norway are expected to be highly critical of the UK for not abiding by promises to reduce radioactive discharges from the controversial Sellafield plant. The expected charge comes despite promises by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott that Britain had shed its tag of 'dirty man of Europe'.

British Nuclear Fuel's (BNFL) controversial plutonium fuel programme (MOX) suffered another blow when Japan's largest nuclear utility announced last night (29/8/02) that there has been a major safety scandal at its nuclear power plants. Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the world's third largest nuclear power operator is a key potential customer of BNFL's MOX fuel manufactured at its plant at Sellafield, Cumbria.

Greenpeace has caught up with a deadly cargo of plutonium off South African waters and mounted a high-seas protest, just days before the start of the Earth Summit in Johannesburg.

Despite attempts by the two armed vessels to evade public scrutiny by altering course, the Greenpeace ship, MV Esperanza, located them late Sunday night and radioed an intention to peacefully protest, but received no reply.