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Thursby Village Hall to Host Nuclear Waste Implementation Plan - Why?



The following letter has been sent to Thursby Parish Hall who are hosting the first of the "drop in" sessions by the self selected Allerdale Working Group. The Allerdale Working Group are working towards Implementation of a Deep Nuclear Dump under Cumbria. Ironically Thursby Village Hall was in the news last year as locals were filling the village hall bins with garden waste. Unhappy with garden waste but happy to host a propaganda fest which aims to dump heat generating nuclear waste. If Thursby, near Carlisle, hosts this propaganda they are inviting more than a few "shocking" waste garden clippings. ..."Thursby Parish Hall issues plea after committee member and caretaker make 'shocking' discovery"



Dear Thursby Parish Hall,


I am writing to you from Lakes Against Nuclear Dump (a Radiation Free Lakeland campaign), The Government quango Radioactive Waste Management are the successors to the last governmental push for "Delivery" of a deep nuclear dump for heat generating wastes.


This time round there will be no right of veto by Cumbria County Council (who called a halt to the ongoing "steps towards geological disposal" in 2013). All that will be required this time is a vague "test of public support." The hosting by Thursby (and other Parishes) of "drop in sessions" for the "Allerdale Working Group" (just a few self selected people) will be used to indicate willingness to continue down the road to GDF.


We believe that anything less than an unequivocal "No" will be used to push "Delivery" forward. The "Working Group" and RWM are looking for a host community who is willing to have the above ground facilities for a GDF in their area. That means in effect the whole of Sellafield's ie the UK and much of the world's existing (and yet to be produced) nuclear wastes would be transported to the above ground 'facilities' and trundled deep underground to depths as deep as Scafell is high.


The above ground site would be open for 100 years or more while waste which has to be isolated from the biosphere into eternity is emplaced. The wastes would continue to generate heat even up to boiling point cracking the containment and causing fissures in the geological surround.


There is, we believe, no suitable geology anywhere in the world that could contain heat generating nuclear wastes. These wastes are currently cooled at Sellafield by fresh cool water from Wastwater and by 24/7 refridgeration. Lakes Against Nuclear Dump ask that you please consider cancelling the propaganda "drop in" session on Thursday from the Allerdale Working Group.


To continue to facilitate the self selected and unrepresentative Allerdale and Copeland Working Groups' "its safe" propaganda is to provide the government with the "test of public support" they need to implement the most dangerous development in the world.


We believe the Working Groups are acting illegally by promoting GDF as "safe" and by including the Irish Sea in the "search area." There are international treaties prohibiting the burial of nuclear waste in or under the seabed.


RWM and the wholly unrepresentative "Working Groups" are concerned only with delivering a dangerous government policy that is scientifically immature and possibly illegal. We will be writing to other Village Halls/Parishes who have been co-opted by the Working Groups into pushing for "Delivery" of the dumping of heat generating nuclear wastes in Cumbria's fractured and complex geology.


With kind regards,

Marianne Birkby

Lakes Against Nuclear Dump

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