Inside UK seaside town in shadow of 'Europe's most dangerous building' where locals keep backpacks 'ready to evacuate' | The Sun
ON a bright October morning, a dog walker strides across a goldenbeach and throws a tennis ball for his excited terrier.
As idyllic as it sounds, this seaside stroll in the west Cumbrian village of Seascale takes place in the shadow of a building dubbed the 'most dangerous in Europe' – the Sellafield Nuclear Site.
The British Nuclear Fuel (BNFL) plant, which stands proudly on a hill overlooking the Irish Sea, manages more radioactive waste than any other facility in the world.
It is also the site of the worst nuclear accident in UK history, the Windscale fire of October 1957.
The fire, ranked in severity at level 5 out of a possible 7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale, burned for three days and released radioactive contamination across the UK and Europe.
It has been estimated that the incident caused 240 cancer cases.
A few decades ago, seagulls around Sellafield became contaminated with radioactivity after flying into open fuel storage ponds and their carcasses had to be kept in an industrial freezer before being safely disposed of.
NEWS FEATURES
I have seven kids & live in a bus…people are stunned when they see my bed
I was Jeffrey Dahmer’s lawyer – his reason for killing spree was truly chilling
And as recently as 2018, a nuclear plant owner was fined after a worker was contaminated by radiation.
But locals in the Victorian village of Seascale, half a mile away, say the sprawling six square km site is vital for the local economy, employing 11,000 workers – half of the UK’s nuclear workforce.
“It’s a fantastic place to live," says local resident, Liz Boys, 71. "I don’t know a single person afraid of the plant.
"If the best scientists in the world aren’t running for the hills, why would we?"
Most read in News
ROT IN HELL
Evil serial killer Peter Tobin who brutally murdered three women dies in agony
BRIDGE TOO FAR
Putin's prized bridge left collapsed wreck after 'strike by special forces'
BREAKING RANKS
Putin’s inner circle move closer to coup as they openly slam war to his face
BLADE FRENZY
Man shot dead by cops wielded 'samurai-like sword' in car-smashing rampage
Vulnerable women and children are being trafficked to the UK to shoplift for Eastern European gangs, retail experts warn Retail...
We and our partners use cookies on this site to improve our service, perform analytics, personalize advertising, measure advertising performance, and remember website preferences.Ok