After cyberattacks, explosive report now highlights radioactive leak from UK’s Sellafield nuclear site

As reports of cyberattacks on the Sellafield nuclear site in the UK, dubbed Europe’s most hazardous, continue to roil the Rishi Sunak government, another explosive report has emerged suggesting that radioactive waste from the facility has been leaking and could potentially pose a risk to the public.

According to the Guardian newspaper, cracks have emerged in a reservoir of toxic sludge known as B30, and is likely to continue till 2050.

If left unnoticed, it could have “potentially significant consequences”, risking contaminating groundwater, the newspaper quoted an official document.

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The report claims that cracks have also developed in the concrete and asphalt skin covering the huge pond containing decades of nuclear sludge, part of a catalogue of safety problems at the site.

Sellafield is controlled by the government’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and is located in northwest England and has 11,000 employees.

The nuclear site stores and treats nuclear waste from weapons programmes and nuclear power generation, and is the largest such facility in Europe.

No action taken 

The Guardian, citing the document, reported that the sites’ safety degradation was first raised with the board members in November 2022, highlighting the “cumulative risk” from failings ranging from nuclear safety to asbestos and fire standards.

But no action was taken.

The report also warned that such events that could trigger an atmospheric release of radioactive waste at the plant, including explosions and air crashes.

The report said events that could trigger an atmospheric release of radioactive waste at the plant included explosions and air crashes.

Causes diplomatic tensions with US, Ireland 

The lofty safety standards of the nuclear site have also raised alarm in the US, which had warned of its creaking infrastructure in diplomatic cables seen by the Guardian.

Among their concerns are leaks from cracks in concrete at toxic ponds and a lack of transparency from the UK authorities about issues at the site. The UK and the US have a decades-long relationship on nuclear technology.

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Concerns about how Sellafield is run have also led to tensions with the Irish and Norwegian governments.

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Responding the report, the regulator Britain’s Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) said, “ONR and the Environment Agency have been holding Sellafield Ltd to account to ensure they are doing everything that is feasible to minimise the consequences of this leak.”

“Safely removing the historic waste from this facility (MSSS) and placing it into modern storage facilities, which began in the summer of 2022, is both a national and an ONR priority,” ONR spokesperson told Guardian.

(With inputs from agencies)