Skip to content or view screen version

Near-nuclear disaster at Atomic Weapons Establishment

dv | 19.10.2008 14:44 | Anti-militarism | Ecology | Oxford | South Coast

It was revealed this week that last July, the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) site at Burghfield in Berkshire was so severely flooded that it came within 2 to 3 hours of a criticality, in which there was a risk of a plutonium cloud being released that would potentially have affected millions. In addition, alarm systems failed for ten days.

This information was kept from the public until it finally emerged this week through the Nuclear Information Service following a request for disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. AWE ML - the private consortium which operates the nuclear weapons sites at Burghfield and nearby Aldermaston on behalf of the MoD [1] - now admits that the risks involved were "incredible", but refuses to elaborate on grounds of "national security".

[1] AWE ML is a consortium of US arms giant Lockheed Martin, facilities management company Serco and the British Nuclear Group (formerly BNFL). The British Nuclear Group stake is due to be sold off shortly to an American company.

Links to this story:

SWAMPED!
The devastating impact of the July 2007 floods on Britain’s nuclear weapons factories
Nuclear Information Service report
 http://nuclearinfo.org/view/nuclear_sites/accidents/a1952

Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Shocking revelations over Atomic Weapons Establishment flooding
 http://www.cnduk.org

Flood threat to nuclear arms site
Channel 4 News
 http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/society/environment/flood+threat+to+nuclear+arms+site/2513357

Britain's nuclear weapons factory 'nearly overwhelmed' by flood
The Telegraph
 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/defence/3178392/Britains-nuclear-weapons-factory-nearly-overwhelmed-by-flood.html

No alarms at nuclear site 'for ten days'
ITN (via Yahoo! News)
 http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20081013/tuk-no-alarms-at-nuclear-site-for-ten-da-dba1618.html

‘Nuclear warning disabled by flood’
Reading Evening Post
 http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/s/2037356_nuclear_warning_disabled_by_flood

Trident plant shut down in safety alert (older report)
Guardian
 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/may/25/nuclear.defence


dv

Comments

Hide the following comment

Come and blockade the Atomic Weapons Establishment on Monday 27 October!

19.10.2008 17:55

Nuclear weapons are a danger and health hazard to people, animals and the environment, even if they're never launched. The Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) and Ministry of Defence have once again shown their incompetence, deceitfulness and disregard for public safety. We simply cannot trust private corporations like Lockheed Martin and Serco or the government to act in our best interests to protect the public and the environment from the devastating effects of nuclear radiation. If AWE is ever to be used as an international centre for warhead disarmament, there would need to be far greater transparency and public accountability than currently exists. Concealing misdeeds and incompetence under the cover of "national security" simply cannot be tolerated.

Come to the Aldermaston Big Blockade on Monday 27 October and help peacefully disrupt work on Trident nuclear weapons at AWE. This event is organised by Trident Ploughshares and supported by CND, Block the Builders and the Aldermaston Women's Peace Camp. Arrest is optional.

For more information, download the briefing pack here:
 http://www.tridentploughshares.org/section20

Also check out:
Aldermaston Big Blockade blog:  http://blockawe.blogspot.com
Trident Ploughshares website:  http://www.tridentploughshares.org

Trident Ploughshares is a campaign to disarm the UK Trident nuclear weapons system in a nonviolent, open, peaceful and fully accountable manner.

Aldermaston Big Blockade
mail e-mail: blockawe [at] yahoo.co.uk
- Homepage: http://blockawe.blogspot.com