Sellafield has entered a new era as Thorp reprocessing ends.

The nuclear site's Thorp plant reprocessed its last batch of spent nuclear fuel on Friday, November 9.

This marked the beginning of Sellafield's reinvention as a centre of expertise for nuclear clean-up.

Paul Foster, Sellafield Ltd's chief executive officer, said: “I'm immensely proud of Thorp's contribution and I'd like to thank the workforce for their unwavering dedication and professionalism throughout a period of unprecedented change.”

The site opened in 1994 and was one of just two nuclear reprocessing plants in the world.

Thorp will continue to serve the UK into the 2070s, acting as a storage facility for spent nuclear fuel. No redundancies will result from the switch-off.

The decision to cease reprocessing was made in 2012, due to a shift in the international market, with the majority of customers opting to store, rather than reprocess their fuel.

Thorp has reprocessed over nine thousand tonnes of fuel from thirty customers in nine countries around the world during 24 years of operation. It has generated an estimated nine billion pounds in revenue.

Its new purpose as a storage facility will allow one hundred years' worth of opportunity for Thorp's workforce, supply chain and community.