Letter: Nuclear dead end

Sir: The suggestion that British Energy "are the clean men of the energy scene" (Business Outlook, 20 May) is ridiculous. This country's 50-year experiment with nuclear power has left a legacy of radioactive waste that will remain hazardous for longer than the entire history of human civilisation to date.

The scientific and technical arguments in favour of waste disposal have also been thoroughly discredited. The final act of the Conservative government was to refuse Nirex, the nuclear waste disposal company, planning permission for the first stage of an underground waste dump at Sellafield because its science was flawed.

The fact that the nuclear industry is spending considerable time and money in trying to lobby New Labour does not mean that it has an arguable case. It would be boring for the environmental movement to have to refight our successful battles of the 1980s, but if we have to, we will.

Dr PATRICK GREEN

Senior Energy, Nuclear and Climate Campaigner

Friends of the Earth

London N1