26 February 2004 Edition

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Brits plan to store nuclear waste 20 miles from Irish coast

South Down MLA Willie Clarke has written to Direct Rule Minister Environment Angela Smith to demand an explanation over the proposal to store nuclear waste at the former RAF base at Machrihanish on the West Coast of Scotland.

He described reports in the local Scottish press that the British Ministry of Defence is considering storing nuclear waste at the former RAF base as a cause of grave concern. The proposal is part of the Interim Storage of Laid-up Submarines (ISOLUS) project that stores the reactor compartments from Royal Navy nuclear submarines.

"Machrihanish is a small coastal village on the West coast of Scotland that lies less than 20 miles across the Irish Sea from Larne," Clarke pointed out. "Any decision to store nuclear waste there will have a negative environmental impact on the east coast of Ireland.

"It seems that once again the Irish Sea, already one of the most polluted stretches of water in the world, is to be used as a dumping ground for British radioactive waste. In Scotland there is widespread local opposition to the proposal. This should be reflected by opposition from elected representatives across Ireland. There must be collective opposition to any attempt by the British Government to further pollute the Irish coastline."


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