Campaigners have condemned the government’s decision to give the go ahead to a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point in Somerset.
Kate Hudson, CND general secretary, said:
“This is a terrible decision. The new safeguards do nothing to address the main problems with the Hinkley deal.
“The basic facts have not changed: the nuclear power deal is hugely expensive – a £30 billion subsidy will be handed to the French state in addition to what consumers pay. It’s dangerous: cancer clusters, nuclear accidents and disasters like Fukushima, and there is still no safe way to store nuclear waste.
“It amounts to burdening future generations with an environmental and social disaster that cannot be compensated for with the expensive electricity the plant will produce.
“Renewables offer a clear alternative. If Hinkley is scrapped, billions can be invested in the UK developing the technology we need to tackle climate change and secure a cheap and reliable energy supply.”