The Cumbria Cabinet’s complete reversal of any semblance of democracy is worthy of the most agile circus acrobat. The nuclear acrobatics continue in the news reports justifying the decision to bury high level nuclear waste by saying : “This is the option being taken in the US at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, where highly radioactive fuel will go underground. The Yucca Mountain project involved URS Washington, a key partner in Sellafield's parent body organisation NMP”. Sounds wonderfully cosy and reasurring doesn’t it? But the truth is somewhat different with lawsuits against URS Washington and deep disposal of high level nuclear waste in Yucca Mountain now off the agenda because of contamination risks to the regions water, soil and air.

This is despite Nevada being a dry area, unlike Cumbria which is prone to flooding and underground water channels. President Elect Barack Obama has said “ I do not believe Yucca Mountain is a suitable site (for deep disposal of high level nuclear waste). We will look for safe, long term solutions based on objective scientific analysis. In the meantime we will develop requirements to ensure that the waste stored at current reactor sites is contained using the most advanced dry-cask storage technology.”

Copeland and Allerdale are being conned by the cleverest of hustlers into accepting the unacceptable. Not if, but when the councils of Copeland and Allerdale want to withdraw their offer to ‘volunteer’ future generations of Cumbrians to certain contamination - will the Government deliver on the promised schools and hospitals? Its not likely! Cumbria County Council’s Cabinet rather than going along with this vicious confidence trick should have demanded from the Brown administration that West Cumbria will be assured of essential infrastructure such as schools and hospitals without it being blackmailed into accepting the world’s most dangerous nuclear waste dump.

If any individuals, communities, groups, district councils etc. would like to know about the consequences of a high level nuclear waste dump and want to do something about it please contact: Radiation Free Lakeland at  rafl@mariannebirkby.plus.com

Tel: 015395 63671