Britain Nuclear Leak Went Undetected

May 29 - United Press International

The leak of radioactive liquid at Britain's Thorp reprocessing plant at Sellafield went unnoticed for as long as nine months, the plant's operators said.

British Nuclear Group said Saturday plant staff failed to detect a leaking pipe -- which resulted in 21,926 gallons of nuclear liquid being discharged -- as far back as August, the Independent reported Sunday.

The gradual leak, reportedly Britain's worst nuclear accident in 13 years, went unnoticed due to numerous human and engineering errors, British Nuclear Group said. The company has ordered a review to check for other potential leaks caused by metal fatigue and an urgent drive against staff complacency.

Government ministers have anonymously said Thorp may never reopen as a result of the incident, classified as serious by the International Atomic Energy Authority. The Nuclear Decommissioning Agency has reportedly been lobbying Downing Street to close the plant for good, a move that would cost taxpayers billions of dollars.