The present policy of nuclear expansion is being treated in a blasé way on the back of the oil crisis. The facts are never put together to rouse alarm to the environmental and economic catastrophic. Firstly, EDF are offering BNF £12 billion but decommissioning costs of the existing stations have increased by £10 billion this year alone to a massive £73.6 billion and will take 130 years to carry out. Even then the waste material will remain active for another 500,000 years.

Also, nuclear power contributes a very small proportion of our energy needs and at best only provides about 20 per cent, assuming all nuclear station are working. At present half are closed for safety reason.

Nuclear stations would need an army for protection against terrorist attacks and there are not enough trained engineers to operate them safely.

There are many ways of solving the energy problem but this is not one of them. The dangers are out of all proportion to the benefits. If this is democracy lets use it and stop it before its too late

Malcolm Naylor, Otley