Published: October 6, 2012
Anti-nuclear protest held over plans to expand Hinkley Point

Anti-nuclear campaigners from across the UK held a mass rally on Saturday (October 6th) in protest against plans to build Hinkley C nuclear power station, near Burnham-On-Sea.

Campaigners said the aim of the rally, held in Bridgwater, was to highlight the stockpile of used nuclear fuel that will be stored at Hinkley Point if the new reactor gets the go ahead.

They are concerned about the impact on the local environment in the event of an emergency.

Katy Attwater from Stop Hinkley said in a TV interview: "It will affect the whole of this country because we are a small country. We can't contain a nuclear accident. There's a huge area of Japan which is now a no-go area and the west country could become something like that."

Barrels with the appearance of radioactive waste were wheeled through Bridgwater to symbolise the high-levels of waste involved during Satursday's protest.

But EDF Energy, which runs Hinkley Point and wants to build the planned two reactors, says it has the support of the majority of local people because the new plant would bring benefits in terms of jobs and economic investment.

Saturday's event in Bridgwater was peaceful but on Monday the protesters are planning to scale the fence at the Hinkley C site and there may well be arrests.