In the current climate of increased threat from terrorist attack, there is serious concern for the safety of London residents, as trains carrying spent nuclear fuel regularly travel through built up areas close to housing, schools and businesses. Greens are calling on the Government to suspend these trains that travel from nuclear power stations in Suffolk, Essex and Kent to Sellafield in Cumbria via North and South London.
Darren Johnson commented, “The risks of transporting nuclear waste cannot be dismissed. At the very least the Government should suspend such shipments for the duration of the war. This is not a risk worth taking. A poll commissioned by the GLA revealed that 79% of Londoners think that there is increased risk of terrorist attack if British forces take part in an attack on Iraq.”
Darren Johnson chaired a committee of the London Assembly, which investigated the transport of nuclear waste. The report by the London Assembly revealed that no London-based emergency exercise has been conducted involving all London’s emergency services. During the inquiry the nuclear industry maintained that nuclear flasks were not a promising target for terrorists but research in the United States revealed that the flasks could be punctured by terrorists using high-energy explosive devices.
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Notes to Editors
Nuclear trains report by the Assembly Scrutiny of the transportation of nuclear waste by train through London can be viewed at www.london.gov.uk/assembly/reports/environment.