PROTESTORS voiced concerns about nuclear waste disposal facility plans at a drop-in event this week.

A new campaign has launched by the Radiation Free Lakeland group titled Lakes Against Nuclear Dump and supporters held a peaceful demonstration on Friday.

Environmental activists picketed at a Mid-Copeland Community Partnership drop-in which was designed to discuss the potential to host a geological disposal facility with residents of the area.

But LAND raised concerns about a the potential for a new development, a Near Surface Nuclear Waste Facility.

A spokesperson for the group said: “Drigg residents have been surprised to learn that 16 research boreholes 120 metres deep have already been drilled without any democratic oversight at the Low Level Waste Repository.

“The boreholes are part of a feasibility study for a possible Near Surface Disposal of Intermediate Level Nuclear Wastes. Government policy would have to be amended for Near Surface Disposal to take place.”

LAND said: “Residents at Drigg have every right to be angry about this. A map released under Freedom of Information request as well as showing recently acquired long lease of the Drigg dunes shows the mining/mineral rights owned by the NDA and clearly shows a linked route from the LLWR area to the inshore are of the Irish Sea.

They claimed: “The mining and mineral rights mean that the NDA are able to extract rock without reference to anyone else.”

A spokesperson for Nuclear Waste Services said: "NDA’s strategy, which was subject to consultation, makes a commitment to explore the technical feasibility of near surface disposal as an option for managing some of the UK’s radioactive waste.

"There are many potential treatment and disposal routes for different types of radioactive waste and this study is separate from ongoing activities to find a suitable site for a Geological Disposal Facility.

"Any future decisions about whether and where to construct a near surface disposal facility would be subject to both a government consultation on policy and the usual town and country planning processes that also provide opportunity for statutory and public consultation.”