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.
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.