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Wigton: Lakeland Authors Say No Nuclear Dump - Image copyright :Radiation Free Lakeland (editors info)
Dear Wigton Town Council,
On friday you will be hosting the second "drop in" for the latest government push to implement the flawed plan for a deep geological nuclear dump (https://allerdale.workinginpartnership.org.uk/allerdale-gdf-working-group-announces-series-of-public-drop-ins/).
Lakes Against Nuclear Dump request that Wigton and surrounding area are not co-opted into hosting "delivery of a Geological Disposal Facility" by hosting this promotional "drop in."
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 Wigton (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 Friday from the Allerdale Working Group.
To continue to facilitate the self selected and unrepresentative Allerdale and Copeland Working Groups’ mantra of “its safe,” is to provide the government with the “test of public support” they need to implement the most dangerous and unwanted 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 numerous international treaties prohibiting the dumping 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
This recent research document from Manchester University details how Heat Generating Nuclear Waste abandoned deep underground would reach temperatures of 100 degrees (or more) and reveals that Mark Kirkbride the Cumbria Coal Boss and key Government Advisor on Radioactive Waste Management has given initial costings to Government for digging a big hole - £1.7Billion. "Delivery" of a GDF is predetermined unless Wigton and other Parishes say No...again!