Martin Whiteside, the Green party's Parliamentary candidate for Stroud, said: "The Government's own nuclear waste advisers, CORWM, have already concluded that, 'If Ministers accept our recommendations, the UK's nuclear waste problem is not solved.' (ii). We simply cannot ensure a safe, secure and stable repository for our nuclear waste - there is also much we don't know and the risks posed by under-estimation of the problems and on false reliance on untested models could be catastrophic."

Martin Whiteside, who is also a District councillor said: "We have, for example, already miscalculated nuclear storage with some containers already completely disintegrating. Fortunately those containers have been refurbished, but this experience provides some indication of the difficulty of assuring the lifetime of waste containers. We just don't know how to store our existing waste safely, never mind creating more.”

Martin Whiteside said: "This submission only adds to what the Green Party has been saying for years: Nuclear power is unsafe, uneconomic and unsustainable. It is not the answer to climate change as the government suggests, as it only provides 5% of our total energy needs. What is sorely lacking in government is the political will and courage to recognise nuclear power for what it is: a nightmare."

Martin Whiteside concluded: "The UK is at an energy crossroads. Nuclear is not the way forward. We desperately need to reduce our energy consumption - through energy effciency, and invest in renewable sources of power to create a sustainble supply."

Jim Duffy, from the Stop Hinkley group, which has campaigned for years against the nuclear reactors in Somerset, said: "This submission is one of the best summaries I have read on this issue and clearly shows the grave problems we have with nuclear waste. We have an onus to face these problems, but this report really confirms the importance of a commitment by the government to stop producing more of this waste."



Notes for Editors:

(i) The full submission can be downloaded free from the 'Report' section at: www.glosgreenparty.org.uk

(ii) The CoRWM report says:
Paragraph 64 : 'If Ministers accept our recommendations, the UK's nuclear waste problem is not solved. Having a strategy is a start. The real challenge follows.'

Extracts from description of status of the report:
'The Committee is currently completing the third and final phase of its programme: assessing its short-listed options for managing the UK's radioactive waste and recommending the best option or combination to Government. It decided in autumn 2005 to start preparing its final report, beginning with an outline and introductory Chapters, then progressively adding more material, starting with its work to date and ending with its final conclusions and recommendations. This is the current version of the report.'