Top scientists demand deep burial of radioactive waste

Proposals to bury the UK's existing radioactive waste deep underground should be acted on urgently and not delayed by calls for more scientific research, top scientists said today.

The statement from the Royal Society - the UK's national academy of science - comes as the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management, an independent committee appointed by the Government, publishes its final recommendations today.

CoRWM published a draft series of proposals in April which the Royal Society said supported the scientific commungity's consensus that geological disposal is a "feasible and low risk option."

It voiced its concern that CoRWM's recommendation for more research and development into general uncertainties concerning geological disposal, "may appear inconsistent with CoRWM's conclusion that sufficient confidence can already be placed in the long-term safety of this option."

Sir David Wallace, vice-president of the Royal Society said: "It is inevitable that a robust and flexible long-term management strategy will require further research but this must not be used as an excuse to delay the implementation of a disposal programme, including the process of identifying suitable sites.

"The nature of scientific knowledge is such that there will always be levels of uncertainty associated with any method of disposing of radioactive waste.

"However, there is considerably less uncertainty surrounding burying radioactive waste deep underground in stable geological formations than other options.

"It is important that we act with urgency because identifying appropriate sites and then consulting on and building these deep storage facilities will take decades. This time lag means a long-term management strategy will require an interim storage period, as recommended by CoRWM."

The Society supports CoRWM's recommendations that an independent body is set up and oversees the staged decision making process into site selection and beyond.

The report says: "Such a body should have a much stronger science and engineering capacity than CoRWM and also have public engagement and education capability."

Sir David added: "The management of radioactive waste is a national issue that will require a continuing need for an open public dialogue. This should form a vital part of the long-term management of radioactive waste as the process moves to selecting sites and beyond."

Professor Gordon MacKerron, chairman of the committee on radioactive waste management, said: "The UK has been creating radioactive waste for 50 years without any clear idea of what to do with it.

"The issue has dragged on for too long. Today we will announce our final recommendations, which we are confident will, for the first time, provide a realistic strategy to deal with this problem.

"It has taken an intensive two-and-a-half-year programme of engagement with the public, stakeholders and the scientific community to reach them. This is a complex issue but we think our report will give communities a powerful voice in any future decisions."