Council says no to nuclear waste in West Cumbria - after years of campaigning by Friends of the Earth31 January 2013
Cumbria County Council has rejected a £12bn nuclear waste store. It called off the search for a site after a popular campaign by West Cumbria and North Lakes Friends of the Earth.
Just a few a months ago a nuclear waste dump in the Lake District seemed a done deal. There was massive pressure on the county from the nuclear industry, media and Government. But the council listened to local concerns and voted no.
A victory for local people and congratulations to the Friends of the Earth group.
Call off the search
In 2008 the Government asked local authorities to consider hosting a nuclear waste dump. Cumbria County Council expressed interest but yesterday ended 4 years of uncertainty - deciding not to continue its search for a site.
The next stage would have involved drilling and dynamiting.
People power
Dr Ruth Balogh - nuclear issues campaigner for West Cumbria and North Lakes Friends of the Earth - was delighted for the local people. She was also happy the Council questioned the Government 's plans for dealing with waste in the interim - given that a suitable dump could take decades to build.
This is a culmination of four years of campaigning by West Cumbria Friends of the Earth.
The problem of radioactive waste is a national problem - Cumbria should never have been proposed to shoulder this burden.
Victory for community campaigning
It really is a victory for the people of West Cumbria. Only 8 out of 53 councils in the region were in favour of continuing the search for a dump site.
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