Dear Friends,
Thank you for signing the petition - please keep talking about this and sharing the petition with your friends and family.
Below is a Press Release just sent out.
Best wishes
Marianne
Image: Heysham 1 and 2 from Piel Island, Barrow, photo by Radiation Free Lakeland
EDF Inspection of Heysham’s Cracked Graphite Reactor Core: MP says Concerns are “Alarmist Rhetoric”
Carlisle, UK, 22 June 2026—Despite Morecambe and Lunesdale MP Lizzi Collinge’s dismissal of constituents’ concerns regarding Heysham nuclear plant’s cracked graphite cores, EDF have swiftly mounted an inspection of ‘one of Heysham’s reactors’ announced to take place on Wednesday 24th June.
The damaged reactor will be taken offline during the inspection, and an emergency exercise will be carried out on the same day. ( ! )
Residents are warned that they may hear increased noise and various sirens during the activities, and that the plant may also emit visible steam.
Nearly a thousand people have signed a petition calling for the reactors to be closed down: https://www.change.org/p/shut-down-the-radiation-damaged-heysham-nuclear-reactors-now
Dr. Paul Dorfman, Chair of the Nuclear Consulting Group and member of the Irish Government’s Radiation Protection Advisory Committee, and Dr. Ian Fairlie, independent consultant on radioactivity in the environment, said: “Reassurances on the relative safety of the ageing Heysham AGR nuclear power plant butters no parsnips. The fact remains, graphite damage processes at Heysham comprise a clear and present risk. This is because deterioration of the graphite core is a key life-limiting factor for an AGR. The graphite core of Heysham has developed and continues to develop significant structural damage to graphite bricks.
They added,
“...The cause of this damage is not fully understood. There are currently limited means of detecting hidden, but developing, sub-surface cracks—so it is entirely possible that this form of age-related damage may be much more extensive. Life-limiting factors of the AGR engineered design are the in situ cast concrete pressure vessel that provides the sole containment barrier and the graphite moderator core which degrades over time (due to neutron irradiation and abrasion by CO2 gas), there being no facility in the core design to replace the thousands of individual graphite bricks that make up the core assembly. On these pressure vessels and core factors alone, the maximum operating life indicated at the design state was 30 years.”
Lizzi Collinge’s lack of concern is clearly not shared by either the plant operator, nor independent experts. Radiation Free Lakeland spokeswoman Marianne Birkby said: “Even if the original design allowed for 30 years operation, Heysham 1 has been running for an additional 15, while Heysham 2 has had an extra 8 years. That is very generous borrowed time and we do not share Ms. Collinge’s reticence about the damaged core. Even if nuclear power was ‘necessary’ according to Ms. Collinge’s insistence, it is beyond time to stop playing Nuclear Roulette with Lancashire and Cumbria’s safety.”
EDF’s inspection will be carried out on Wednesday, 24 June at Heysham according to their notice on local social media which states:
“We would like to give advance notice that there is the potential for some increased
noise and/or visible steam from the site over the next few days.
On Wednesday 24th June, one of our reactors will be coming offline for its planned
graphite inspection outage. On the same day, we will also be carrying out an emergency
exercise, so sirens may be heard to enable us to carry out a practice roll call.
Any noise or activity associated with this is completely normal and planned, as part of
our operations.
We apologise in advance for any disruption this might cause to local residents.
If you have any questions, please get in touch.
Many thanks
Community Team
Heysham 1 and 2 Power Stations”
The petition calling for closure of the damaged nuclear reactors can be found here