THE catastrophic horror of Chernobyl still lingers 30 years after the disaster – but what would happen if one the UK’s nuclear power stations blew up? It will be 30 years since the disaster in Ukraine on Tuesday and its affects are still felt today. Thankfully emergency scenarios at nuclear power stations globally have been few and far between since April 26, 1986. Maps put together by the Keep Wales Nuclear Free organisation reveals the stark reality of a nuclear power station accident in the UK. The group applied the data from the accident to each of the nine of the active power stations in the country, revealing the fallout zones and the emergency resettlement areas. For the UK, it would be a disaster of epic proportions due to its dense population. The sobering reality of a reactor meltdown in the UK and in other parts of the world is why anti-nuclear campaign groups exist. Roy Pumfrey, spokesman for the Stop Hinkley organisation in Somerset, said a Chernobyl-style explosion at one of the UK’s plants would be “catastrophic”. He told Daily Star Online: “A lot depends on how severe the accident it, and which way the wind is blowing. “Hinkley Point is in an isolated position but it is just across the Bristol Channel and major towns and cities in south Wales are not very far. Great number of people in other areas would be affected. “Our estimates is that a severe incident would affect around three million people. “What we know is that the Chernobyl incident affected the whole of western Europe. “This would have the potential to be catastrophic. It would put a huge strain on resources to deal with. “The affected areas in Chernobyl are just as dangerous as they were 30 years ago. “It’ll be a disaster like nothing we have experienced before.” Mr Pumfrey said the threat of a terrorist attack at a major power station is a huge concern. It comes as Brussels bombers Ibrahim and Khalid el-Bakroui spied on the home of a nuclear power chief in Belgium and may have been planning to attack a plant. Mr Pumfrey added: “There is a risk. It doesn’t have to be flying a jet into a power station. “Terrorism is becoming increasingly sophisticated. “A risk of a cyber attack where a hacker could be able to gain control of operation systems without leaving home or their desk to wreak havoc will be very hard to deal with. “We expect that’s the bigger risk than a direct attack.”
Daily Star 24th April 2016 read more »