MP wants atom power inquiry

AN Oldham MP was today calling for an independent inquiry into the justification of new nuclear reactors.

Oldham West and Royton MP Michael Meacher was due to speak at an event in Westminster where nuclear experts, Liberal Democrat and Labour politicians will address an invited audience of MPs, climate change policy advisers, businessmen and representatives from the nuclear industry.

The group is demanding that the Government holds an independent inquiry into the case for new nuclear power stations.

Mr Meacher said: “Nuclear reactors are potentially utterly lethal installations. We have these plans for another 10 to be built across the UK but yet no justification of why they are needed.

“The basic argument is we need new nuclear to full the energy gap, but in my opinion this is false as the earliest we could get a plant built by is 2018-2020.

“It is more likely to be in the 2020s, and the energy gap will come to a head before that in 2015.

“I am not saying no to nuclear but saying let us look at more off or on shore wind, solar power.

“The risks of nuclear are huge. We have had Chernobyl, the nuclear reactor fire at Sellafield in 1957 and the Three Mile Island radiation leak in Washington. No new-build should happen until we have this inquiry.”

Lib-Dem shadow energy minister Simon Hughes has tabled a Commons petition, backed by the Oldham MP, demanding an independent inquiry be carried out before any reactors are approved.

In November it was announced 10 new sites had Government backing for potential construction.