INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SELLAFIELD LAUNDRY AND CUMBRIAN HOTELS -
(Mrs Tiggywinkle and the hot pants)
A Cumbrian laundry, Shortridge, supplying some of the most prestigious
hotels in the Lake District has a £50,000 - £600,000 contract to provide a
contingency laundry for Sellafield's towels and underwear.
There is no monitoring once the laundry leaves Sellafield, no checks once
it arrives at the same laundry used by Cumbrian Hotels. Baroness Verma’s
recent comments about the intimate relationship between the nuclear
industry and tourism perhaps refers to the use of the same laundry?
£500,000 has been pledged by government to protect the Lake District’s
image. No doubt aggressive Mrs Tiggywinkle marketing could put a positive
spin on the nuclear laundry being shared with Cumbrian hotels. The only
brand protection worth having is to contain radioactive contamination on
the Sellafield site rather than dispersing it to the environment at
previously non nuclear sites through landfill, metal "recycling", a
proposed nuclear dump and now, we learn, the laundry!
The Environment Agency has provided answers below confirming the appalling
situation which, despite assurances, opens up another new pathway for
routine and accidental contamination. This has only come to light as a
result of an anonymous letter to Radiation Free Lakeland.
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Environment Agency -Freedom of Information Answers: PROTECT-NTH6582H
Dear Marianne
Thank you for your request for information which was received in this office on 14 January 2013.
Requests for information that are recorded are generally governed by the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA). The information you have requested is environmental and it is therefore exempted from the provisions of FOIA by FOIA s.39(1). We have therefore considered your request under the provisions of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR).
I will answer your points in turn.
Laundry at Sellafield
Sellafield Ltd has an on-site laundry for active and non-active (i.e. contaminated and non-contaminated) laundry. However, in case the laundry cannot operate, Sellafield Ltd has a contract with Shortridge Laundry as a contingency for the non-active (i.e. non-contamined) laundry.
1. Has Shortridge Laundry a discharge license?
Shortridge Laundry does not have and does not require an environmental permit from the Environment Agency. We understand that it does have a discharge consent from United Utilities to discharge to sewer.
2. Where is the discharged water going to?
Discharges to sewer from Shortridge Laundry are treated by United Utilities at its waste water treatment works.
3. How long has Sellafield been contracting out laundry?
We understand that Sellafield Ltd has had a contingency contract for non-active (i.e. non-contaminated) laundry for approximately 4 years.
4. Who is responsible for monitoring this new pathway for accidental and routine release of radioactivity?
There is no new pathway for accidental and routine releases of radioactivity as Shortridge Laundry is only contracted for non-active (i.e. non-contaminated) laundry. Hence there is no requirement or responsibility for monitoring. Sellafield Ltd is responsible for ensuring that only non-active laundry is sent to Shortridge Laundry and has arrangements in place to achieve this (e.g. monitoring of clothing).
We hope that this answers your queries.
Many thanks.
Helen Reynolds
Customer Services Officer
Customer Services Team North West
Environment Agency
Ghyll Mount, Gillan Way, Penrith 40 Business Park, Penrith, Cumbria, CA11 9BP
Telephone: 01768 215848
Email: Nwnorthinformationrequests@environment-agency.gov.uk
MORE INFO BELOW
£500,000 pledge for Lake District image
http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/500-000-pledge-to-protect-lake-district-s-image-1.1027134?referrerPath=news
Nuclear Laundry
http://mariannewildart.wordpress.com/2013/01/14/nuclear-laundry-outsourced-for-4-years/
Baroness Verma
http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/baroness-verma-webchat-geological-disposal-in-west-cumbria-1.1027959?referrerPath=news
