Industry hits back after Sellafield safety slam

According to its investigation, Panorama discovered parts of the plant that were “dangerously rundown” and also found occasions where too few staff were on hand to operate the facility adequately.

Employees work around the clock every day to ensure that the site is safe today, tomorrow and in the future

Sellafield statement

Panorama also said radioactive materials were being stored in plastic bottles.

If a fire were to start, this could generate “a plume of radiological waste” that could go across Western Europe, said a whistle-blower and former site manager who prompted the investigation.

However, in response to allegations, representatives from the nuclear industry said the investigation fails to tell the full story about the UK’s decommissioning sector.

“It completely ignores the progress which has been made at the Sellafield site in recent years,” said Tom Greatrex, chief executive of the Nuclear Industry Association.

Greatex said the nuclear industry’s primary concern is the safety and security of its employees and the communities in which they are based.

He added that Sellafiled has been working hard to reduce the radioactive hazards in Cumbria, as well as in decommissioning retired plant across the rest of the UK.

In a statement about the programme, Sellafield said the plant is safe, “there is no question about that”.

The operator said: “Employees work around the clock every day to ensure that the site is safe today, tomorrow and in the future.

“It is disappointing that despite giving BBC Panorama access to Sellafield and spending a significant amount of time explaining complex issues, the programme painted a negative picture of safety that we do not recognise.”