Delays over funding for a radiation monitoring scheme to be carried out on beaches in North Cumbria and South West Scotland have been resolved
Tests in the area were sanctioned when it was realised that in addition to radioactively contaminated waste water and airborne emissions some solid particles of contaminants may have been discharged from nuclear plants at Sellafield and the now disused Chapelcross nuclear power station
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency will see £100,000 made available for beach monitoring in the areas effected. The move has been welcomed by local politicians.
A Member of the Scottish Parliament commenting on the monitoring described it as a "sensible precaution" which would be "valuable reassurance". He also said "the continuation of radiation monitoring...is important...If it uncovers nothing then it gives valuable reassurance to the public...If, on the other hand, it reveals that there is a problem, it should be much easier to get action to have that problem addressed."
However as we reported earlier this month this view is not shared by Manx government who say they have no plans to for similar monitoring although some beaches on the Islands North coast are an equal distance from the areas to be monitored
Unlike their Scottish political counterparts the Manx government also eschew any idea of billing the United Kingdom government for the radiation monitoring which the Manx government currently has to undertake as part of ongoing scrutiny of the operations of the Sellafield nuclear plant and its impact on the environment in and around the Isle of Man.
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J B Moffatt Director of Information Celtic League
14/11/07
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