Inquiry into radioactivity scare

An investigation into a leak of radioactive waste was under way yesterday after a container was damaged en route from Trawsfynydd nuclear power station to the national waste repository 150 miles away at Drigg in Cumbria.

Magnox Electric, which operates the North Wales plant, maintains that the container was in good order before starting the 150 mile road journey earlier this month. On arrival at Drigg it was found to have radiation levels in excess of those permitted by operating regulations. Trawsfynydd was closed more than three years ago on safety grounds. It is currently being decommissioned, a process expected to last until the end of the century.