British Nuclear Group (BNG) has been fined £500,000 ($950,000) following a leak at the Thorp reprocessing site in Cumbria in which some 83,000 litres of radioactive acid liquor escaped from a broken pipe.
In a statement, BNG said that while it regretted the leak it was disappointed with the size of the fine. The company also faces costs of £67,000 ($127,000) after pleading guilty to breaching health and safety law.
The UK’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) brought the prosecution following the discovery of the leak.
After the hearing at Carlisle Crown Court, Dr. Mike Weightman, HSE’s Director of Nuclear Safety and HM Chief Inspector of Nuclear Installations, said: “Our extensive investigation into the events in Thorp has shown that British Nuclear Group Sellafield fell significantly short of the required standards for a considerable period of time before the leak was discovered.
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