Cracks found in Scots nuclear reactor spark fears over core safety

CRACKS found in a nuclear reactor have sparked fears that it could not be shut down in an emergency.

Official documents revealed the nuclear ­regulator’s concerns over fractures in the core ­structure of Hunterston B power station in Ayrshire.

Operators EDF Energy say the cracks pose no threat to safety at the site.

But paperwork obtained through a freedom of ­information request shows the Office for Nuclear ­Regulation have raised concerns over ­fractures in the brick keyways that lock together the core in reactor three.

It’s feared the same problem could arise at EDF’s sister station – Hinkley B in Somerset.

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The ONR have agreed the stations can continue ­operating safely after making changes to the reactor ­shutdown process of the 70s structures.

But John Large, who helped design the advanced gas-cooled reactors, believes that if the cracks get worse, they could jeopardise a ­reactor’s stability in the event of a disaster and make it impossible to shut it down.

He said: “These keyways are beginning to fracture… that means the locking together, the way that force can be transferred from one brick to another, is lost, so it becomes a very loose stack of bricks.”

Allan Jeffery of campaign group Stop Hinkley said: “If you can’t get the control rod down, you can’t control the temperature inside the reactor and you’re heading for accidents – possibly even meltdowns.”

But EDF director of nuclear operations Brian Cowell said: “We know that having a small number of cracked bricks in this massive structure (of the core) is completely ­irrelevant to the safety function.”